Biology, or Chemistry
by Whisper from the Shadows
Summary: Forced to work together, they made a temporary peace, that peace grew to friendship, and is becoming more. How is the rest of the world going to take the news? RonBon
1. Unspoken Truce

A/N: This is my first actual Kim Possible fic (I've done a songfic oneshot but that doesn't count), so please be gentle. I want to keep people in character as much as possible (no pun intended), but with the pairing I intend to work with, there have to be some changes to their character as the story goes along, I want to make it so the characters start as they would in the show and 'grow' a little to accomidate my writing needs for this story. Please review.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible, if I did, I would be rich and my stories would be on TV rather than here.

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**Ron's POV**

Even though it was blisteringly cold out, Ron was sure the icy blue eyes next to him were colder at that moment. Mr. Barkin, had pulled a sick joke in pairing the two of them together for the biology project, pick any animal and prepare a presentation and write a paper together. _Naked mole rats!... and for the presentation 'Naked Mole Rap'... and I'd even have a live specimen to show... oh never mind, I'm with **her**, there's no way she'd go for that one..._

"No, naked mole rats." came a very perturbed but hushed, _to avoid the social flop known as D hall_, voice from beside me, _it matches the look I'm getting right now... I wonder if it's me, the project, or what she thought I wanted to do the report over?... probably me... and is it really that obvious that I would want to do the report on Rufus... oops I mean naked mole rats?... yeah, probably_

"Don't worry, Bonnie, I already figured that. In fact, I'll even let you have the honor of picking what animal we do this dumb report on." I said in one of the most polite tones I could muster. I didn't want to start this project off on a bad food, _not that being with Bonnie can start on a good foot... but still_...

"Stoppable!" my name rang through the room, "is there something you would like to share with the rest of the class, or are you done trying to distract Miss Rockwaller? Maybe a detention would give you time to think about talking in my class again."

"I'm..." but I didn't get a chance to finish because I was cut off.

"Sir, we were just discussing the project you just assigned us to. You know figuring out what to do it over, who was going to do what, and where we could get the work done. Stuff like that, sir." my jaw must have hit the ground because I got a boot in the shin that told me to go along with it. _ Did Bonnie just stick her neck out for me?... no, there's some ulterior motive... maybe she wants to make sure you don't get another detention, therefore lowering your status on the 'food-chain'... I mean, she does have to spend out of school time with you over the next 2 weeks..._

"Oh, I see... Umm... Well, that's a good idea, why doesn't the rest of the class follow Miss Rockwaller's example, use the rest of class to get with your partners and prepare & discuss the project." _Wow, not only did I get off... but, now the rest of class gets_, I looked at my watch, _the last 17 minutes of Barkin's class "off"... Dude, this is awesome..._

"You owe me for that one, Stoppable." she said before returning to the topic at hand, _that dang biology project_, "And, I'm going to take you up on your offer to let me pick the animal. Since I am considering marine biology, let's do dolphins." I think she was expecting a moan of grief or protest from me. But after that last mission, _why Drakken thought an underwater base was a "good" idea I'll never know_, where we were assisted by trained dolphins for infiltration, and later extraction when the base was about to pop, _why have a big red self destruct button in the middle of the console?_, I figured it couldn't be _that_ bad.

"Cool, KP and I just went swimming with some yesterday." was all I said. Her jaw looked like it was going to hit the ground, but collected herself before anyone else noticed, _therfore preventing a drop in high school hierarchy_.

"Good, then it's settled." she said coldly, "So can I expect to have to do all the work, or are you capable of thoughts that don't revolve around a 'heart attack in a sack' from _Bueno Nacho_?"

"Mmm, burrito's, nacho's, NACO's!" I mumbled, not to the amusement of my partner. "No, I'm more than capable of thinking, I just don't normally 'cause it hurts the ligaments in my brain. But, change is good, right?"

Following a grunt of disapproval she said, "Good, I didn't want to have to do this thing on my own. I'd rather have help, even if it is _you_. Now where do we want to do this? Here at school or the library is off, I don't want people to think I actually associate with someone like you. That leaves one of our houses, and I don't even want to think about what your house looks like." she actually shuddered at the thought of my house,_ it's actually not all that bad... my folks are gone quite a bit on work... I'm gone quite a bit on missions, or over at Kim's... the only place that is a mess is my parents' room, they never clean it up... and they say teenagers are sloppy..._

"Okay, so... your place after practice? Let's say 5ish?" she nodded, "Great, it's a date... wait that came out wrong... no it's not a date... it's two people who hate each other being forced to work together on a pointless project handed to them by none other than the son of Lucifer, Barkin himself..." _Oops, that was close... hold it, I think Bonnie almost laughed... and this time it would have been at something I did rather than just laughing at **me**... no you're just seeing things... she was probably getting ready to kill you for mentioning that word in connection with the two of you..._

"Fine, just be there on time. And try not to be seen on your way, I _definitely _don't want people to think that I allow losers like you in my house." she seemed distracted, but the normal 'Bonnie' venom was still present.

**Bonnie's POV**

_It's 5 till 5... Kim is always talking about how 'amazing his timing is on missions'... let's hope he doesn't disappoint... Wait! I want the loser to be here?... no, no, no, I just want, scratch that... I just need, scratch that too... this would be easier with his help, yeah that will work... I wonder why he was willing to let me decide what we did the report over... and did he really swim with dolphins yesterday?... probably let me pick just to make things go smoother... he's never really been mean to me, and he has probably more reason than anyone to be mean... I treat him like dirt, or less... you have to, he's a Loser with a capital 'L'... are you sure about that?... I mean yeah, he's a bit goofy and uncoordinated... but Kim and him are inseparable... and even though I don't like Kim, I still respect her in a weird kind of way..._

Ding Dong!

I looked at my watch, it was a minute till, _right on time_. When I got to the door, he just stood there teeth chattering not making any attempt to come inside though, _is he really dumb enough not to come in out of the snow?_ After about 5 seconds of me standing there with the door open I asked, "Well, are you going to come in or get frostbite?"

"I was waiting on you to invite me in. It's not polite to enter someone's house without permission, unless it's family or a close friends' place that you have an open door policy at. But, to answer your question, I would really rather not get frostbite. Maybe it's just me but it sounds painful, well once you thaw out and can feel again that is..." then noticing that I wasn't enjoying his little rambling session, "I'm just going to shut up now and come in." He stepped through the door I was holding open for him, _he smells good... BONNIE, this is Ron Stoppable you just thought that about... NO!_ "Thank you, but are you going to shut the door or let all the heat out and let me freeze in here rather than out on the sidewalk?" There was a little smirk on his face, obviously having trouble moving the numb muscles in his face, but it was still there. I shut the door a little harder than I needed to, but I wanted to get the point across not to mess with me.

"So, why don't we get this thing done with." I said, more as a statement rather than a question. "You can use my sister's laptop, and I'll use mine, we will sit in the living room talking about the project. We can open a IM window to send links back and forth making things a little faster. Any questions?" He just looked at me and shook his head, _I guess he knows I want to get this over with... but we have two weeks to get it done... do you want to spend two weeks with a loser?... imagine what that will do to your reputation... _"Oh, I guess I'll be a good hostess before we start, do you want anything to eat or drink before we start? I know I can't work on an empty stomach and I know you didn't really have time to eat after practice, unless you just inhaled your food at an unbelievably rapid pace."

"Well, if you're offering... I could go for a cup of hot chocolate, you know something to warm up the bones," he chuckled as the pink was starting to disappear from his cheeks, "and if it's not too much trouble I wouldn't say no to something to eat. But don't go out of your way to make something, I'll just have whatever you make for yourself." He was being very polite, _very disturbing... no one is that polite to me... don't complain, it's nice and it'll make the project go smoother than the two of you at each others' throats the whole time..._

"I'll warm up some water on the stove, hot chocolate sounds really good right now. And I'm just going to have some toast, I eat mine with just a little butter, but we have jelly if you want." I figured if he could be civil I could, _don't want to rock the boat and drown before you get started_.

"Thanks, I'll take strawberry if you have any. If not, just butter. I can come help, I'm fairly decent in the kitchen, at least that's what KP tells me." _He just had to mention her... hey, calm down Bonnie, he's trying to offer help... it's not his fault that Kim is his best friend... did Ron just say he was a good cook?... _

"I doubt I need help putting water on the stove and dropping bread in the toaster." That was probably a little harsh but I don't want him to get too comfortable here, _why not he's going to be spending quite a bit of time here, for a while..._ "You can just sit down in the living room and I'll be there in a minute, you can put your stuff in the closet behind you if you want." At this he leaned over and started to remove his boots. As I walked to the kitchen I heard an 'Oof' that let me know he'd fell in the process of taking them off, _klutz_.

Once the toast was going and the water was on the stove, I stepped out of the kitchen to find him still at the front door, apparently his boots had given him a little more trouble than I thought. Then he starting pulling his sweatshirt off over his head, which in turn pulled the bottom of his shirt with it. I know it's _Ron_, but I was curious and had to look. _Impressive, he's got a decent six-pack... I guess all that tagging along with Kim really has paid off... _ Then I saw his chest and my jaw about hit the ground, _he's got a great upper body too... I guess it doesn't show through his loose fitting clothes... that and he always slouches... if he stood up straight he might have a few people interested in him... obviously not me though..._ I thought I saw a few white lines here and there on his entire torso, but he pulled his shirt back down before I got a chance to look closer to see what they were.

About then I was snapped out of my trance by a whistle coming from the other room, _what the... oh yeah, the water for the cocoa..._ I reentered the kitchen and got our food and made my way to the living room. Ron was already sitting on the couch, but got up when he noticed me come into the room. _Such a gentleman... I wish other guys were like this... wait just a minute, did I just say I want other guys to be like Ron?... maybe I should clarify... most guys would be laying on the couch right now and be trying to get me to join them for some 'extra-curricular' activities... I may date around and tease, but I've never crossed that line..._ "Here, I'll hold it while you sit down. And thanks again, I really appreciate it." He was sincere, and for the first time I realized he didn't have that uncertainty in his voice that he used to have, _how long ago was it that you remember seeing that side of Ron?... probably sophomore year, so 2 years ago... I probably just haven't been paying attention to the little fish..._

By the time we sat finished our cocoa and toast it was 5:30, so we got down to business. We must have lost track of time because the phone rang and on my way to pick it up, I saw a clock, 9:30! I didn't recognize the voice on the other end; it was a woman, guessing I'd say in her 40's asking if Ron was there, so I figured it was his mom. Handing him the cordless handset, I sat down at the other end of the couch (where I'd spent most the evening) listening to one side of the conversation.

"No, we were working on our project. I didn't look at a clock till the phone rang." "No we haven't been watching TV! Why?" He didn't sound happy with whatever his mother had said at that point. "Bonnie would you turn on the news, please. Mom says we need to see this." "Just a second she's finding the remote, okay it's on." "Don't worry I'll just come home right now..." "Okay?... Umm, Bonnie, I hate to ask this, but my parents were wondering if I could sleep on your couch... You're watching the news so you know about the blizzard that is going on, mom doesn't think it's safe to go out in it." "Just a sec mom, I just asked her..." I was a little shocked, but I understood where she was coming from, according to the news Middleton was about 20 minutes into a blizzard and there was a white out, mix that with the fact it was dark... yeah, probably not the safest.

I just nodded that it was aright. "Mom, you still there." "Yeah, I'm just going to crash here on her couch." "NO! Nothing like that will happen, besides you've never complained about stuff like that before." I was a little confused by this part of the conversation, but it was really none of my business so I _tried_ to ignore it, 'tried' being the operative word, _there's no way his mom suggested what I think she did... and what did he mean about her not complaining before... does he stay at girls houses a lot?..._ "Okay, I'll call you in the morning. They'll probably call school off at least tomorrow and maybe Friday." "Okay, you too. G' night."

He had just put the phone back in it's cradle, when it sunk in what had just taken place, _Ron Stoppable is going to be sleeping at my house!... and we're the only two here_. Apparently he just realized that last part too, because he asked, "So, where are your folks at? I haven't seen them at all, I know we've been studying but I figured I would have seen them walk in. Or were they home already and just haven't left their room this evening?"

"No, you didn't miss them come in. Well, unless I missed them too, and they came home early. Mom had some big conference she had to go to in LA, so they're gone. They weren't planning on being back till Sunday night or Monday morning sometime." I said sheepishly, then added with a stern voice, "So, you're sleeping on the couch. I'm sleeping in my room, the bathroom is the second door on the right, I will leave the light in there on so you don't go into the wrong room. Got it?" _I guess that was subtle... I just don't want any viscous rumors started about Ron and me... oh God, if you're listening, 'what did I get myself into?'..._


	2. Nightmares to Peaceful Slumber

A/N: I had a direction I was going with this after this chapter, but I decided to go a different route and have been going over ideas for the future of the story. I have finally decided what/where I'm going now, and I think you're going to enjoy it. Updates will happen, but I can't say for certain when they will happen. I hope at least once per week, and if I can more, but no promises.

About this chapter, I don't know if any of you have ever been isolated with another person for an extended period of time, but in general two people in a situation like this tend to talk and try and connect with the other person. I don't know if there's a psycological reason behind it or not, I just know it happens. I'm not going to ruin the chapter anymore than to remind you to remember that. As always enjoy and please review. (P.S. Bonnie is a little OOC, depending on how you look at it)

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible, if I did, I would be rich and my stories would be on TV rather than here.

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**Ron's POV**

_That was the weirdest dream ever... make that nightmare... Barkin forcing me to work with Bonnie... loosing track of time working with Bonnie... then sleeping on her couch because of a blizzard... I for once can't wait to get to school and get this out of my head... I'll tell KP, it'll give her a good laugh... I must have been exhausted last night, I slept in my clothes... and why is my bed softer than normal?... wait a minute, this is a couch... I must have **really** been tired if I didn't even make it to my bed..._

I opened my eyes slowly, the light hurt them a little, but I wasn't really paying attention to that. Apparently my parents rearranged the living room and got new furniture in the process, _I know I can sleep through just about anything, but this is too weird._ As the room came into focus through the fog I became suddenly aware that this was NOT, in fact, my living room, _or Kim's for that matter_. It did however have a funny sense of familiarity, then it hit me **_that was no nightmare, it really happened!_**

I flew off the couch, only to get tangled up in the blanket that I had mummified myself in through the night and ended up on the floor with a surprisingly quiet thud. _Oh please don't wake up Bonnie_, I thought looking at the clock; it was 6:30 which added another knot to my already confused mind, I _never_ get up this early with out an alarm, and even with one it sometimes takes someone actually shaking me awake. _Well, at least something good came from the whole fiasco yesterday... better check the news to see if they called off school yet..._ It wasn't that I had any real doubts, but I figured I'd better check. And as I had guessed school was called off today, and more than likely tomorrow because it was still snowing. I opened the front door to see how bad things were here, but all I could see was a white wall. The bathroom was up half a level above the living room so I went to do my morning stuff and look out the window up there, fortunately the snow had just drifted on that side of the house covering the front door and all ground windows, it looked like it was actually only 4 to 5 feet thick everywhere else.

I went downstairs and decided to make use of my morning and did some stretching, push-ups, and sit-ups. I realized sometime last year that I might want to beef up a little, so if Kim ever did really _need_ me I wouldn't be a push over. And yeah I know it's not the size of the dog in the fight it's the size of the fight in the dog, but I also know that a Chihuahua stands about no chance against a Doberman Pincher. I was actually impressed with the results I was getting too; I had decent abs and my upper body strength was impressive. I never took a weight lifting class but on occasion I had sneaked over to the weight room during cheer practice to try it out, I knew better than to max out without a spotter so I just did 20-30 reps at 180 pounds. It's not like anybody noticed, I still wore the same baggy clothes and slouched out of old habit, but I knew that I could hold my own with just about anybody Kim and I faced, _okay, so maybe not Shego_. And at school, well I knew that I would probably hurt someone because of the training I've gone through with Kim and all the fighting I've actually done on missions, so I never lifted a finger in defense, _maybe I should reconsider that... no, I don't want to hurt anyone..._

Cough, cough. I turned to see Bonnie standing at the end of the couch, she seemed to be asking what I was doing without actually saying anything.

"Hey, good morning. I was just working out a little... Sorry if I woke you..." she didn't say anything, just stood there looking at me. "Umm, would you like some breakfast, I mean it's the least I can do for letting me crash on your couch, and I promise I'm a decent cook and I won't poison you."

She just continued to look at me, but with a thoughtful expression instead of her usual contempt, then finally said, "Sure, I've heard stories about how 'amazing' your cooking is, both from Possible and from some of the kids in your Home Ec. class. I'll show you where stuff is in the kitchen then I'm going to get ready for school."

"Oh that reminds me, there is no school today. It's still snowing outside and we can't get out, the drifts are covering the front door completely. The weatherman said there'd probably be no school tomorrow either." I was giving her the update as we walked to the kitchen.

Once there she gave me the basic tour adding, "If you need to know where something is just come ask me, I'm going to read on the couch." My shock was on my face more than I wanted it to show because when she looked at me she added, "What? Do you really think I'm a dumb cheerleader who doesn't read, all I spend my time doing is watching fashion TV and shopping?"

I was just a little taken back by this outburst, _what did I think of Bonnie... I mean I know she's not dumb... but, she just doesn't seem like the kind of person to curl up on the couch and read a book for fun... then what type of person is she?... I guess I don't know enough about her to judge... I just see what she puts out there to be seen in public... this is her house, her **home**, she's going to be more relaxed and 'herself' here... I wonder what else I don't know about little Miss Rockwaller?..._ "No, sorry Bonnie. I just never pictured you curling up with a book. Sorry, I'll get breakfast ready and come get you."

She looked like she wanted to say something, then just nodded and walked out. _And I thought my 'dream' was weird... today is going to be interesting to say the least... maybe it'll clear up enough that I can go home..._

"Bonnie! Breakfast is ready!" I hollered towards the living room. But when I got no response I went in there to find Bonnie asleep where I'd spent the night with a book on her chest. I picked up the book and marked the page she was on, hoping that it was where she was actually at, and sat it down on the coffee table. _So, she's a Tolkien fan... now that really surprises me..._ I put a hand on her shoulder and shook slightly, "Bonnie, Bonnie, breakfast is ready," her eyes opened a little,"come on, it's better while it's still warm."

When she finally sat up she said, "I must have fell asleep again while reading. Where'd my book go, by the way?" I just pointed to the table, "Please tell me you marked the page before closing it?" she pleaded with a groggy voice.

"Don't worry, I did. Now are you going to come and let me say thank you for letting me sleep on your couch or are you going to let all my hard work go to waste?"

She started to snap, but then realized I wasn't being mean so toned down before saying, "Yeah, I'm coming. Don't get your boxers in a bunch."

I couldn't resist the set up, "Hey, how did you know I was wearing boxers?"

The look on her face was priceless, it started as shock that I had said it, then anger at what I was suggesting, and finally she blushed, _though I'm not completely sure why_. When she finally regained her composure she quipped, "You're the one who can't keep his pants on at school, and from what I've seen on the news and heard from Kim you can't keep them up on missions either." There was a little venom in her voice that told me not to take the joke any further but light enough that I think she actually thought it was funny. _The last 24 hours have been way too weird..._

**Bonnie's POV**

As I approached the kitchen, my senses were assaulted (in a good way) by the smell of bacon, eggs, onions, cheese, and several other things that made my stomach growl in anticipation, _if his cooking tastes as good as it smells he wasn't lying about his abilities... I wonder what else the mysterious man serving me breakfast is hiding?..._

I watched as a three egg omelet, half a dozen strips of bacon and some hash browns were put onto a plate then sat in front of me. Then he filled his plate with the same things and sat down across from me as if waiting on something.

"Yes?"

"I was waiting on you to start, this is your house after all. Besides I want to make sure you like it, the best part about being a cook is watching people enjoy your food." I was surprised that this world saving sidekick/chef/high school loser, _are you sure he's a loser?... Grr, quit thinking like that... of course he is... he's Ron Stoppable for crying out loud_/whatever else was as deep as he was.

"Oh, okay." I still wasn't used to this whole being treated like a lady thing. At best I'm treated with respect, but even that is based off of fear. And most of the time I'm treated like a piece of meat, something to be sized up and judged on the market. _It's oddly nice to be treated like a human... even if it is Ron... no wonder Kim keeps him around... he probably treats her like this, or better... everyone is just waiting on the two of them to admit that they have a thing for each other... he won't because he's too afraid of what would happen... and she won't because she is too easily distracted... I'd bet that if she had him though she wouldn't be giving any other guy a second look... I wish I could find someone like that..._ I took my first bite and had to physically control myself to keep from embarrassing myself, I've never had _that_ type of reaction to food before. _The food is amazing... knee knocking, mind turned to putty, euphoria type of amazing... _Then my mind returned to it's previous train of thought, _why do I keep thinking I want to find someone like Ron Stoppable!... he's a loser, very close to the bottom of the food chain... I shouldn't want anything at all to do with him or anyone like him... maybe there's a guy at the top who's like Ron, you know: sweet, charming, treats me like a human, good cook, great body... STOP THAT!..._

Apparently my thoughts were making their way to the surface because when I looked over at him, he had a worried, _why would he be worried about me?_, look on his face and asked, "Are you okay? Do you not like the food, or is it something else?"

"No, the food is great. I was just thinking about the project." I lied through my teeth, but there was no way I was going to tell him what I was thinking about, _why not?... he'd be willing to listen to your problems... he might even be able to give you some advice... Great, now I'm thinking of asking Ron Stoppable for relationship advice... I must really be off today..._ "Why don't we work on it when we get done eating, I mean it's not like your going anywhere, and we do need to get it done. We might even get it done this week end, or at least a good chunk of it, then we won't have to do this as much."

"Yeah sure, I get what you're saying. The sooner we get this all over with the less time you have to spend with a loser like me. I might warn you though, I procrastinate. I work better under pressure, besides 'procrastination is for people who like a challenge'."

_You're not a loser... just different than most guys... maybe that's not a bad thing... _I wanted to say at least part of that, but I didn't say anything, just kept eating not making eye contact with the brown eyes across from me. I didn't want to ruin my reputation, even though he would be the only one who ever knew I said it; it's not like he'd go tell everyone, and even if he did, I could deny it and people would believe me.

I was eating slower now, I was getting full but still had half my omelet and a couple strips of bacon left. I looked across the table to see him finishing off the last of his hash browns, using them to clean up the grease from the bacon off his plate. "You want the rest of mine, I think I'm done, besides I have to keep my weight in check for cheer leading."

"Not you too, Bonnie." I wasn't sure what he was talking about till he continued, "Does every girl in the entire world think she is fat or has some other physical condition that makes her 'undesirable'? You are not fat, you have never been fat as long as I have known you, and I would be willing to wager you don't ever get fat. Well unless you count being pregnant as fat, I don't but whatever, you get my point."

I was _slightly_ taken back by this little pep speech, he was able to complement me without ever calling me sexy, hot, or another variant thereof, something else I was not used to, _but you could get used to... shut up!..._, "No, I don't think I'm fat. I can eat as much as I want and I don't have to worry about it, well to a certain extent. I'm just full, I don't usually get a full breakfast in the morning, it's usually a bowl of cereal or a granola bar."

"Oh," he said quieter, like someone had just popped him on the nose with a rolled up newspaper, "Then hand it here, can't let good food go to waste can we?" He said the last part with that smirk he always has on.

I slid my plate over to him and grabbed his empty one and went to the kitchen to clean it. It took me a second to realize something was out of place, _no nothing is out of place... that's the problem... he not only cooked, but cleaned everything up when he was done... _the kitchen was cleaner now than when we woke up this morning.

I was finishing drying off the plate when he came in and finished the last of the dishes, those he was using when I left, then followed me as I led the way to the living room to work on our biology. I just wanted to get it over with, not _necessarily_ to get rid of him, but I hated having homework that wasn't done hanging over me.

Around 11:30 I heard a gurgling noise from the other end of the couch, when I looked up Ron was concentrating on the screen hard. _Too hard, he's hungry and trying to avoid saying anything... I don't see how he can be hungry, he had easily twice what you did... then again, have I ever seen him **not** hungry?..._ "Hey, you want to take a break, I'll make us some sandwiches?" I asked, even though I was still fairly full from the meal we had ate 4 hours earlier.

"Sure." his head popped up comically at the sound of food. He had this cute look of thanks mixed with relief, _did I just say Ron was cute?... no, I didn't... what did you say then... the face he made was cute... therefore he, being attached to said face, is cute... shut up!_

"While you're doing that I'll save and print off the stuff we have done, I don't trust computers, I lost an entire English paper last year because of one. Since then, I have Wade do regular back-ups of both mine and KP's computers."

"What kind of sandwich do you want? We have lunch meat, PBJ, lettuce, cheese, the works." I asked as I stood up.

"PBJ, with strawberry preserves and extra crunchy peanut butter if you have it." he toned hopefully.

"No way!" I yelled. His eyes just dropped to the floor, _he must think I'm yelling because he was too picky... we probably have anything he could possibly want... it's just he likes the **exact** same type of sandwich I do..._ "Hey, I wasn't yelling at you. I was just surprised, you like the same sandwich I do. Do you like extra peanut butter too?"

His eyes lit right back up, "About half an inch of peanut butter! I like my PBJs to have some consistency."

_Who would have guessed... we like the same things, for the same reasons too..._ "Will do, just come to the table when you get done doing what you're doing, I should be done by then."

Just as I expected, as I finished making the sandwiches he came in. "Boo-yah!" _Okay so he's a little rough around the edges... nothing that you can't deal with... wait why would I need to deal with it?... I did **not** just think that... that's Kim's job, she's the one who he'll end up with anyways... why does she get everything handed to her on a silver platter?..._

"Easy there, it's just a sandwich." I was trying to be calm but with the thoughts that were going through my mind it came out harsh. _Oh, great Bonnie, just what we need... you to start a fight with your partner... he can't even leave to get a break from you..._

Thankfully he was either ignoring me, didn't hear me, or was too engrossed in his sandwich to notice I was even speaking. I was making my way to the table to join him when...

_**WRRRrrrr...**_

and everything went dark. _Crap the power went out..._ "Ouch." I had mistakenly judged the chair to be farther away when the lights went out and therefore stubbed my bare toe on the leg of said chair. I heard movement from where Ron had been sitting, but no bangs, thuds, or screams of pain. _I hope he's okay... I mean, yeah, I don't want to have to do this assignment all by myself..._ I heard the door open and saw the natural light from the living room briefly before the door shut itself. Then not 30 seconds later Ron came back in with something in his hands, I couldn't tell what it/they were in the dark and the door closed itself again before I could look around and find a safe path out.

_**Crack, crack, snap, pop, crack.**_

The room took on an eerie green glow, "Are you okay? I heard you stub you foot when the lights when out. I have some stuff for missions in my pack, and I remembered I had these." Holding up one of the green rods he'd set on the table.

"How did you see to get out?" I asked, this was my house and I stubbed my toe in the dark, this was his second day in the house and he made his way around the table and chairs (which weren't all pushed in I noticed) to the door without hurting himself, stubbing his toe, or tripping over something.

"Not sure actually. Probably has something to do with having to observe my surroundings, it's something I picked up going on missions with Kim. If the power goes out and you're in the middle of a lair, and that happens quite a bit, you have to be able to find your way around the room and to an exit with little to no light." he just shrugged and added, "Are you sure you're alright? It sounded painful."

It took me a second to register the feeling from my foot, but when it hit... well let's just say it's a good thing I had light to find a chair. "Yeah, you could say that."

**Ron's POV**

I helped her to the couch as much as she would let me, _she's very independent... I guess I should be used to girls like that... I mean look at KP... speaking of which, I wonder why Bonnie hates Kim... they're a LOT alike whether either one will admit it or not... they just focus their energy at different things: Kim at saving the world/school/cheerleading, and Bonnie at getting to the 'top' and staying there/making Kim's life miserable/cheerleading... _

"Is there anything else I can get you, 'cause you're not walking on that toe for a while. It's swollen and might be broke," I had enough experience with stuff like this, both from my natural clumsiness and from missions, that I knew she'd be fine in a while, but she'd need to take it easy for a day or two. After she shook her head another one of my natural traits came out, slightly cheesy humor, "So, did you not like that chair or what?"

I about passed out right then and there, she actually laughed at one of my jokes; no death glares, no 'grow up' comments, and no snide remarks about being glad she couldn't kick me. But, apparently she realized the same thing and quit almost as soon as she started, _too bad she has a nice laugh... not her typical 'evil' laugh... this was a real Bonnie laugh... kind of cute if you ask me... hold up a second, did I just say something about Bonnie was 'cute'... oh man, I can't think like this... she hates me like, well like cheerleaders hate losers... besides, don't I have a thing for redheads?... I'm not sure anymore... dude, I've got to quit thinking... all I'm doing is confusing myself, more than normal that is..._

We sat there not talking, actually not doing anything for a while. I had helped her to the couch, propped her foot up on a pillow, and got her a glass of water and some painkillers before sitting at the other end of the couch. We just sat there for what seemed at the time like an eternity, _probably only a few minutes_, before she surprisingly broke the silence, "So, why are you being so nice to me? It's not like I haven't done enough to you through the years for you to have just stomped on my toe rather than help me out."

"Do you want me to stomp on your toe?" I asked, _she has a point... she has been a royal pain in the neck... but she doesn't deserve to be treated like dirt... no one does really... not even Drakken?... hey, there are exceptions to every rule..._

"Not particularly, but isn't it customary to kick your enemies while they're down?" _Where is she going with this... it's not like I think of her as 'the enemy'... that's the super villains and such... it's her and Kim that have the rivalry going... I just happen to be caught in the cross fire from time to time... and no, you don't kick your enemies while they're down, that's what separates the good guys from the bad ones..._

Slightly confused I replied, "No, I don't kick my enemies while they're down. Besides I'm not you enemy. At least I didn't think so, if I am I must have missed the memo."

"I figured that if I hadn't completely made you hate me Possible would have just put icing on the cake." she was taken back by this revelation, "I just assumed that you would pick her side in all this."

"You're looking at the proverbial Sweden, baby." I was starting to relax a bit, and my 'Ron-ness' was starting to show through again.

She just eyed me curiously, "So, you don't hate me? Even after all the crap I've done to you or Kim?" _So this is where she was going with this... _

"Na, I just brushed it off when you did something to me, I'm used to it by now. I did, slash, do get mad at you when you do something to KP, but that's just because she's my friends and I don't like to see her hurting. Speaking of which, why do you hate Kim?"

She began to readjust herself in her half laying position, "Too bad the power's out, or we could work some more."

"What?" then my brain caught up, "Oh yeah, well at least I saved everything before we went to eat, we won't have to redo it all at least." _Hold the phone... she just changed the subject on me,_ "You never answered my question: Why do you hate Kim?"

She must not have liked the way she was sitting because she started to readjust again, "I just do, okay?" _She's avoiding the question... don't pry too hard, you'll just make her mad..._

"I guess, I just figured there must be some _reason_ for the adamant dislike of my best friend. I've known her for some time and I can't think of any reason someone shouldn't like her, well except super villains, but that's because she's always ruining their plans of global domination."

"Do you really want to know why I don't like her so much?" I just nodded, _are you sure you want to know?... well to late now... I already opened the floodgates..._ "Okay, but on one, no two conditions. One, this conversation never happened. And two, I get to ask you one question that you **have** to answer. Okay?"

I wasn't sure at first, I mean yeah I can keep my trap shut but what could she possibly want to know about me? _She probably just wants dirt on Kim... but a chance like this is almost too good to pass up_, "As long as my answer 'never happened' as well." _that will keep me out of trouble if she asks about Kim... she won't be able to do anything with whatever she gets... and people claim I'm not too bright..._

"Okay, that's fine, I expected as much." _that means she actually agreed... that means she's more than likely not gonna ask about Kim... that means she'll probably ask something personal... what does she want to know?..._

"Well, I did ask first, and you have my word I'll answer your question..." _is she going to back out... did she change her mind?..._

"She's got it easy." it was a mumble, mix that with her being quiet and staring at the floor, I barely heard her at all.

"What do you mean, she's got it easy?" I was truly curious how any one could say Kim has it easy, _if anybody has it easy it's Bonnie... let's take a quick look: popular, straight A's, and can have any guy she wants... you get the picture, there are girls who would kill to be Bonnie..._

"Everything is just handed to her, things come natural to her. For example cheerleading, she makes it to half the practices and is still captain. And I may act mad about that, but really I'm upset because she _is_ better than me and doesn't try nearly as hard. Grades are the same way, I study all the time, I have to work my brain numb to get the grades I do, and I know she can't have time to study because of missions and all the other stuff she's involved in. It's... It's just frustrating that no matter how hard I try I won't ever be better than _Kim Possible_." she was almost in tears at this point, _what am I supposed to do... tell her Kim works just as hard as she does?... that would be a lie... yeah some things come easier to her than other people, but she has some things that aren't as easy for her to do... but, she keeps trying none-the-less..._

"Bonnie, it's gonna be okay," _did I really believe that?..._ "So, you have to put out more effort in some places, does that mean that the results are any different? You have a 4.0, right?" she just nodded, "Then why does it matter what Kim has or what I have or even what Felix or Brick have? You have done your best and got what you earned. The same goes for everybody else, whatever they put in is what they get out. I mean look at me, I don't put that much effort into school, and in turn I don't have the greatest grades in the world. Bonnie, you have nothing to be ashamed of." _did I really mean all that... yeah, I think I did... weird, I never knew I felt like that... she is an amazing person... Ron, listen to yourself, this is Bonnie, the Queen B, we're talking about here... no, I think this is Bonnie, the human being that hides behind a mask of anger and hatred... the **real **Bonnie..._

I hadn't realized she had put her leg down and was sitting up until she attacked me, _what's going on what did I say!_, then I noticed I wasn't in pain. When I opened my eyes I saw something I never thought I'd see, Bonnie was hugging my chest and it looked like she had no intention of letting go anytime soon. I thought about pulling her off, but something stopped me, instead I wrapped my arms around her back to comfort her. _Okay this just hit a 12 out of 10 on the awk-weird-o-meter..._

"Thank you." again I barely heard her, and all I could do was pat her back in acknowledgment that I heard her.

After a few minutes, she calmed down a little and sat back up, "Ouch, I think my foot needs to come back up, too much blood down there." So, I helped her get her foot back on the couch and lean back against the other end.

"Can I ask another question?" I just had to know why if she hated Kim, why she treated me like dirt, was it because of association, or just because I'm... well, me.

"No, I haven't got my question in yet. And what are you suggesting, we go back and forth one question at a time?" I hadn't really thought about that, but it did sound like a good way to pass the time and get to know Bonnie a little better, _maybe find out why she is the way she is... if I had to bet, I'd go with self esteem issues... probably thinks she's not pretty enough so she tries to make other people feel worse about themselves, therefore making her appear at 'the top'... maybe there's some other way for her to feel better about herself..._

"Well, I wasn't actually thinking that, but sure. I asked my question, so now I lay myself at your mercy." I did a mock bow from my seat opposite her. _Come on you can do this... there's nothing she can ask you that you can't answer... well, what if she asks about the time... NO, you can answer her question... besides she couldn't possibly know about that... right?..._

"Well my question is fairly straightforward, but it might be hard to answer, I don't know." she took a deep breath then continued, "Do you hate me?" I looked down at her, she didn't have the usual Bonnie like aura of confidence around her, she looked... I don't know how she looked, she just looked not right.

"I do have more reasons than anybody in the entire school, save one _possibility_, but I can't honestly say I hate you. Yeah, there are times I wished you would leave me alone and forget I existed, but no I don't think I've ever hated you. Besides, if I hated you I would probably have tried to leave last night just to get away, and would be buried under a few feet of snow right now." Watching her, I noticed she looked like a 2-ton weight had just been lifted off her shoulders, _she cares what I think?..._ "What makes you think I hate you?"

"Is that your next question, or just curiosity?" she had a small smirk on her face and a gleam in her eye hoping she could get out easy this time, _I guess one 'freebie' wouldn't hurt_.

"It was just curiosity, I have something I want to ask you, but I think I can wait a little bit. So, what makes you think I hated you?"

"I just assumed you did. Like you said, you have probably more reason than anyone else to hate me. I'd say even more than _her._ Between us it's a rivalry, we dish it back and forth, with you I was the only one dishing it out. When you never responded I figured it's one of two things: he's either too slow in the head to return my jabs, which I doubted, or he hates me enough not to justify me with a comeback."

"Then to clear things up, I don't hate you. And this just goes to show you what assuming does... makes an 'ass' out of 'u' and 'me'." my sarcastic side started to show up, _dang it... I'm trying to have a civil conversation... can't you do that just once?..._ "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound snappy. Anyways, I do believe it's your turn to ask a question. Unless you want to let me go again? I'm up for that." I said with my trademark goofy grin.

She just laughed a little and said, "I don't think so, we're gonna play fair here." _it's nice to hear her laugh... kind of musical... mental slap Ron, this is Bonnie... come on don't loose touch with reality... hey, just because we don't normally get along the greatest doesn't mean I can't complement her... I've really got to quit arguing with myself._ "Do you love Kim?"

I was speechless, _what am I supposed to say... the truth, you guys made a deal, remember?... okay, so what is the truth?..._ "I- I have loved Kim since... well, forever... I think. It's hard to explain, I know I love her, but I don't know that I can say I'm in love with her. Does that make any sense what-so-ever?" _It doesn't even make since in your own head completely, what makes you think it'll make since to Bonnie._ She just nodded, "I- She's been there for me since Pre-K, and I've always been there for her. I don't know if what I feel is deeper than just best friends or a brother/sister love. I know there's nothing I wouldn't do, or at least try to do, for her. Add on top of that, she's the only female besides Mon and Yori who have ever given me the time of day, and you get one really confused teenage boy, aka Ron Stoppable." I just said things as they came to me, I didn't think things through but what I said seemed to be the truth, _it's like something in the air is preventing me, no **us**, from lying_.

When I just sat there staring at nothing in particular, Bonnie reached over and grabbed my arm, "Hey, come on. You'll figure things out, when the time is right. Besides right now, you get the rare opportunity to pick Bonnie Rockwaller's brain." I could tell she was trying to lighten the mood, but I was lost in confusion's fog.

"Thanks. You know, people would like you more if they knew you like this?" she cringed and looked away, "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't know it was a touchy subject, all I'm trying to say is you seem to be a good person once you get through all the Queen B stuff. 'Cause, come on, can you honestly say this is not _you_, and you put on a facade at school? Even I do to a point, I'm not quite as dumb as I let people think I am." I was trying to patch a hole in a sieve with chewing gum the way things looked, but I saw her breathing slow back down and her shoulders lower back to a less defensive position.

"Am I gonna get by with that being my question? I think I can answer that one." she finally let out with a smirk, she knew better than to think I'd let her off easy twice. _But look at her... It's a good thing she doesn't know the puppy dog pout... or, I hope she doesn't... with those beautiful blue eyes I'd be putty in her hand... don't let her know that..._ "What are you thinking about?"

"Nope, my turn to ask the questions. Nice try though." _whew, that was close..._ "This is basically the same question you asked me just a little bit ago. Why do you hate me?" She looked immediately to the floor, trying to avoid looking my direction and making eye contact. "Do you want to stop? I mean you don't have to answer, we can just talk about other stuff, or just sit here and..." she cut me off by holding up her hand. _Okay, so she's just thinking about how to answer..._

"No, I'll answer your question, but you're going to hate me when I get done."

"I think we've already established I don't hate you, and I doubt the answer to this question will change that."

"I want to make it clear before I get into this, I don't hate you." _she doesn't hate me?... I'm really confused..._ "I will however, modify your question so you get a decent answer. Instead of why I hate you, which I don't, I'm going to try and explain why I treated you the way I have." she took a deep breath before continuing, "I treat you, no I have treated you it won't happen again you don't deserve it." she started to choke up a bit.

"Hey, easy now. You're going to be fine." I started to reach out and put a hand on her back, but she saw it and pushed it away.

"No, don't touch me. I don't deserve your sympathy, I've treated you like crap for my own selfish reasons, some of it because you were lower on the _food chain_, but mostly- Mostly it's because of Kim." My face apparently was showing how I felt right then fairly well because she answered my unspoken 'why', "Kim has everything, she can do anything. 'Any thing's possible for a Possible' right? Well, I may be a Queen B, but I can read people fairly well. Obviously I was a little off on you, but that's beside the point. Kim is amazing at everything she does because of you." I was completely shocked/confused by this, but she continued, more for the sake of getting it out than for my sake I'm pretty sure, "You are there for her at every turn, you give her the confidence to keep going, I don't think she knows this but if you weren't around she'd be just another girl in school. She wouldn't be able to save the world or be cheer captain or just be Kim. I focused some of my energy at attacking you because, this is where you're going to hate me, you're her crutch. If I took out her crutch she'd fall flat on her face. And if she fell flat on her face, I knew that if you weren't there she'd stay down. So I tried to keep you off balance, so when I went after her then her support wouldn't be as strong. But I realized that you were immune to my attacks directly, it only affected you when I was going after her, when your defense was down. And even then, you managed to keep her up, sometimes at your own expense." she was blubbering this out as fast as she could, trying to hold back a dam of tears, "I guess when you think you're at the bottom you figure you don't have any lower to go. The truth is, you're probably one of the greatest guys in our school, and I wish I could find someone to be my support like you're there for Kim."

Then the floodgates opened up. I was really too dumbfounded to think straight, but I knew I didn't hate her, and I knew she needed someone right here and now to just be there for her. So, I pulled her into a deep embrace, knowing from years of experience with Kim, that she just needed to cry it out of her system. I felt her shivering between the shudders caused by the crying, so I grabbed the blanket from the floor I'd used the night before and wrapped it around us. Without saying anything, she let me know her toe was hurting again so we laid back the direction she had been, I was on my right side with my back to the back of the couch using the armrest as a pillow, and she curled up in front of me, her back against my stomach and chest. I vaguely remember her crying drift off before I slipped into unconsciousness.


	3. Explanations

A/N: If you thought Ron was gonna get an easy out you're going to be disappointed. I'm not too sure about my fight scene, is it too much? I think it helps bring things into perspective for Kim, which can be a good or a bad thing. And if you don't get the end, it will be explained a little bit next chapter (hint: Ronshine is a hot commodity). And I just realized I've been leaving Rufus out of it, we're gonna say that he stayed home Wednesday because it was cold (with no fur it might be) and because Ron hasn't been home yet Rufus hasn't joined in, he might later I don't know.

I looked up the Stockholm syndrome mentioned, everything I read about it points to a hostage to hostage taker relationship, or abused person to abusive party. I can't find what it's called in 'official' terms, but that's not important, I was just trying to help people see where I was going.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible, if I did, I would be rich and my stories would be on TV rather than here.

* * *

**Bonnie's POV**

_Good morning to me... I haven't felt this good since, well ever I think... _Those were my first thoughts, then as my mind became aware of my senses I panicked a little. I felt my hand laying on skin, _oh shit, what did I do... and who did I do it with... calm down Bonnie, think who were you with, and did anything happen?..._ finally choppy memories of crying myself to sleep found their way to the surface, then I remembered who was there comforting me. _Why do I feel skin?... we were both fully dressed last I remembered... he wouldn't... would he?... no, he wouldn't do anything of the sort... Ron couldn't take advantage of anybody... then again, why do I feel skin?..._ I finally pried my curious eyes open to a relieving sight, we were both still fully clothed, my hand through the night just found it's way under his shirt and was laying on his chest, _that very nice chest, I might add... _I was too tired, worried, confused, and enjoying my predicament to argue with myself.

I reluctantly pulled my hand away and put in back in the same position, just on the outside of his shirt. I sighed at some of the random thoughts of what we _could_ have done last night, _why am I thinking like this?... I don't think like this about anyone..._ Taking a deep breath to clear my head again turned out to be a mix of a good and a bad thing. Good, because I got the thoughts about my hand on his chest and what we could have done if I wasn't an emotional wreck. Bad, because Ron smelled really, and I do mean _really_, good. He had this musky smell, not a bad 'ancient attic' musky, but a very manly, _and extremely attractive_, smell.

_Come on Bonnie... get a hold of yourself... you've never crossed **that** line... do you really want to cross it because he comforted you?... that's something else nice, he's not going to want anything in return for being here for you... anybody else would have either taken advantage of your confused state... or expect something in return for being here... you know he's probably going to not even mention this night unless you bring it up... then there's the whole issue with not remembering the whole night, just talking, crying, and him holding you... _Finally giving up on making sense out of the choppy morning memories I decided to go clean up for the day, _once I'm awake I'll remember everything and make rhyme and reason out of it_.

I returned a few minutes later: wet hair, no make-up, and sweats and an oversize sweatshirt. "Hey, you're looking good this morning." _What! I don't look good like this..._ I looked at him, he had a cocky grin on his face, one I've seen on many guys face at school, usually the day after... _HE DID DO SOMETHING!_

"You sorry piece of worthless loser trash, get out of my house right now!" I was slightly pissed at this point, I didn't remember doing anything, but that smirk only means one thing. He started to reply but I stopped him, "I said get out, I never want to see you again." Now he was looking confused, _he must think I wanted it... or worse I was 'experienced'..._ "Are you deaf?"

"No, I'm just trying to figure out what I did to make you mad. I just complemented you, I thought you looked good without trying to look good." his cocky grin was gone and in it's place was a confused little boy. _Are you sure something happened... maybe he was just happy to have spent the night with you... but 'the' grin... I don't know, I'm so confused..._ "I'm sorry, I should have carried you to your bed, or woke you up and sent you there. I just couldn't bear to wake you, you looked so peaceful once you finally got to sleep. And I didn't want you to start crying again, I don't like to see pretty girls crying." _he's apologizing?... then nothing happened and I blew up about nothing... plus, he just complemented me without being a pig... Great Bonnie, just great..._

He already had his shoes on and was walking towards his coat to leave. "Wait, I should be the one who is saying sorry. I saw something that usually means something else, and jumped to conclusions. I should have known better than to think what I was thinking, you couldn't do that." I was basically, _okay, so there was not basically... I just **was**, _pleading with him, "Please, I'm sorry. Don't leave." He stopped at his coat, and turned around to look at me. I didn't think it was possible, but he looked more confused now than he did before.

"What? Did I miss something, where is the Bonnie that was just reaming me, and what did you jump to conclusions about, I figured you were mad about sleeping with me." then it clicked in his head that I had jumped to a different meaning of the word 'sleeping', and he added, "By sleeping, I do mean eyes closed, rest, and unconsciousness. Is that what this is about? You thought I took advantage of the situation last night?" he was starting to get upset now, "I guess that's the only way a _loser_ is going to be able to get any, right? I mean no girl in their right mind would want to do that with me, so I take advantage of people in a weak position and get my jollies then, right? Well come on, is that what you were thinking?"

I just hung my head, I hadn't quite put that much thought into it, but the idea was there, I had jumped to the conclusion because I thought he was like all the 'other guys', I hadn't taken into account that this was Ron, one of the gentlest people I know. "No, yes, kind of..." I started, _oh great_, he started to turn towards the door, "Wait, please let me explain what I thought. Then if you still want to I won't stop you." he turned back towards me, his breathing was heavy and his face was slightly discolored from the excess amount of blood flow. "When I woke up my hand was on your chest under your shirt, and we were curled up on the couch together. I figured right away that nothing happened and my hand had just got there through the night. But, then when I came back down you had this cocky little grin that I've seen on some of the guys faces at school when I know they 'got some'. I couldn't remember doing anything with you, and I couldn't bring myself to think you could/would do that, but sometimes rational thought is just beyond reach and I jumped to a bad conclusion that you'd done _something_ while I was asleep. I'm so sorry."

He didn't say anything right away, I could tell he was sizing me up to see if I was telling the truth. _Why do I care so much about whether he believes me or not?... come on Bonnie you're not going to lie to yourself, are you?..._ "So to sum it up, you thought I was the stereotypical guy who will do anything to get a handful?" I cringed at his bluntness, this was apparently enough of an answer, "I thought I'd made it clear, I'm not that kind of person. I'd bet there are quite a few guys who would do, or in this case not do, the same thing if they knew you, and I mean actually _knew _you. I know you haven't gone _there_ and I'm not going to do something like that to you. Like I said yesterday, I may not really like some of the stuff you've done to me in the past, but I don't hate you and I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you." I looked at him in shock, _how does he know I haven't... why is he so concerned with how I'm doing when I basically just called him some not-so-nice things... he's just full of surprises... _He caught onto at least part of what I was thinking because he added with a bad imitation of Brick, "'_Man, I can't seem to get through the Ice Queen, it'd be easier to get into Fort Knox gold deposit than to get her'_, I've heard that or a similar speech a couple times when the jocks are bragging about their 'conquests'."

Before I got a chance to ask him anything else I heard 4 beeps come from his direction, he instantly reached for his pocket and pulled out a PDA sized device I recognized as the 'Kimmunicator'.

**Ron's POV**

"Hey Wade. We got a mission?" I was hoping both yes and no, _yes, because I need to get out of here for a while... she did just almost accused me of something horrible... even for Bonnie that was low... _The part of me hoping there wasn't a mission was thinking, _no, because I want to stay here and finish this conversation... it's getting interesting... she did apologize once she figured out she was wrong... typically she would have just said whatever... maybe she's going soft... or some of what you said is finally getting to her..._

"Yeah, just a second. Kim is taking her time answering her..."

He was interrupted by the familiar, "Hey Wade. What's the stitch?" She didn't look or sound like she was in the best mood, she might have even been crying. _Just what I don't need... KP having a breakdown during a mission... usually means I'm gonna be stiff in the morning..._

"Just got a hit. Drakken is doing something big, satellites can't see much, but it looks like he took over Fort Knox." _irony anybody, because we have plenty to spare it looks like_, "Drakken's piggy bank must be getting low. Wanna check it out?" He knew before he asked she'd agree, but he always asked anyways.

"Where's our ride?" we both asked at the same time.

"Jinx, you owe me a pop." I growled because she beat me to it.

"Fine, I'll get you one once we get done handing Drakken to GJ."

"Um, guys? Are you paying attention, your ride is on the way now. And don't worry about meeting him anywhere, he'll land at each of your houses so you don't have to fight the snow." _Oh no... I'm not at home... but neither of them know that... what am I supposed to say, "oh, by the way. I'm at Bonnie's if you could just drop by here and bring some mission clothes while you're at it. Please and thank you."... I guess I got to do something..._

"Bonnie, what is your address?" I asked quiet enough the microphone wouldn't pick up my voice.

"1600 Pensacola Avenue." She apparently didn't catch the whole me being quiet thing.

"Ron, what was that? Was that Bonnie's voice?" My best friends curious tone was very clear over Wade's overly perfect communication device. I cringed, but had to laugh when Bonnie realized what she'd just done.

"Hey Wade, would you have the ride get me at 1600 Pensacola Avenue. And Kim," _I never call her that unless I want something_, "would you grab one of my sets of mission clothes I've left at your place." I added a BIG cheesy grin to the end.

Our computer friend looked really confused, but nodded disappeared from the screen. "You haven't answered my question Ron." She was getting impatient and I could tell it. _I'll just explain things on the way to Kentucky... this is going to be a **long** flight..._

"You need to get ready, and don't forget my clothes. I have my pack, so don't worry about throwing together another. See you in a bit." I turned off the little device before she had a chance to pursue her questioning any farther.

"Oops, I didn't think about Kim hearing me." Bonnie blushed.

"I can just tell her we were working on the project and I got stranded here. I slept on the couch and nothing happened between us. That's the truth, and besides who would ever believe me if I did say that I slept, in the unconscious meaning, with Bonnie Rockwaller." I could think of two people, maybe three, who would believe it. And right now I didn't want them to know, _Kim would hurt me... and once Monique knew, everybody would know... and then Bonnie would hurt me... see a pattern... so for my health, no one finds out_.

"Yeah, I guess that's a good way to handle this. Just make sure your girlfriend doesn't say anything to anybody." _Stop just one second!_

"First off, she's not my girlfriend, she's dating Monkey Boy. Second, I don't want her to know, she would probably use me as a warm up for Shego if I did tell her. Thirdly, thirdly... I don't know what the third thing is, but there is one and it has the same general idea." I was not the happiest person in the world right then. I was just reminded of how my best friend is dating a boy whose name is one letter off from being a furry, stick banging, rock throwing primate, and how I would probably never get a chance with said friend to explore our relationship any further than just best friends. I looked at the only other person in the building, and instantly regretted my outburst, she was standing there like, well like someone who got yelled at for no real reason. "I'm sorry, Bonnie, I just have a lot of stuff on my mind. I shouldn't have yelled at you."

She straightened up and said in the typical Bonnie tone, "Like your little tirade affected me. Do you forget who I am? I just want to make sure you didn't get any ideas in that little brain of yours." _Well, it sounded like the Bonnie I've known for years... definitely, something she would say... but something is off... _I realized she didn't have the... conviction, _I think is the right word_, behind it. She said the words but they seemed hollow, like there was nothing behind them.

"Don't worry about that, I don't know if any ideas could find my _little_ brain. Besides, nothing happened... Unless you did something while I was asleep." I added that last part just to see whether I was right about her not being behind what she was saying, _if she blows up about it I was wrong and she really is pissed... if she does anything else, well she's trying to hide something... but what?..._

Her face went flush, "Nothing happened, besides waking up with my hand on your chest and using your shoulder as a pillow. And as far as anybody outside of this house right now is concerned, that didn't even happen, right?" _Okay, so she's acknowledging that happened... but what is she hiding?... I doubt she 'did' anything to me in my sleep... she was the first one out, and I **know** I would have woke up if something like that was happening... _I made eye contact and while I didn't say anything, she figured out I wasn't going to talk. "So, are you going to stop back by and work on the project, or do I have to do it by myself?"

"Well if I had my way, you could work on it all by yourself until third hour the day it's due. We do have Biology during fifth right?" she nodded with a laugh, "Okay, yeah that'd work, two hours to get it done. Like I said, I procrastinate because 'procrastination is for people who like a challenge'. However, I don't think that'd be fair to you seeing how you worry about things till they're done, so I guess I can put aside my study habits..." I was interrupted by her laughing out loud at this point, when she finished I continued, "I can put aside my study habits for one project."

I heard a distant roar/whistle approaching, knowing my ride was almost there I opened the door, only to find the white wall again. _How could I forget that?..._ I mentally smacked myself for forgetting. "You can go out the bathroom window. The snow is drifted right up to it." came a suggestion.

I headed up the half flight of stairs to the bathroom and got to the window just in time to see a VTOL jet land in Bonnie's front lawn. "Don't have too much fun with out me." I said as I slipped out the now open window. _Out of the frying pan and into the fire... I really don't want to have to explain this to KP..._

There was a figure standing at the top of the ramp blocking my path, "You do realize you **will** be explaining things on the way don't you? Because if not, I can tell Bonnie that you get to stay here with her." Not that spending another day with Bonnie sounded like a _bad_ thing, I knew better than to say that to Kim, so I just stepped around her, she took this to mean I was taking her offer. _Be honest... just not too honest... tell her enough to satisfy her hunger... no more... I can't lie to KP... you're not lying, you're omitting some details... that's a fine line to walk... better get some balance then..._

**Kim's POV**

_Ron has got to be going mad... spending two days with Bonnie... I'm surprised one of them isn't dead... speaking of people who should be dead... I think Ron might be right about Josh... maybe he is a monkey, or just as dumb anyways... I can't believe he broke up with me..._

"Hey, KP? Are you alright, you didn't sound to happy when Wade called, and to be honest you don't look like you have your game face on. Is something wrong?" He looked at me with is big chocolate eyes, _he's always concerned about me... I'm lucky to have a best friend like him... not many people can say that they have someone there for them like I do... I definitely won in that aspect of life's lottery..._

"I'm beginning to think you were right Ron." _oh yeah, he can't read my mind, _I thought when I saw his confusion, "One letter might be the only difference between Mankey and monkey."

He laughed at this, not at me but kind of at the fact I was just now realizing this, _his laugh is nice... I guess it's something that grows on you_, then he quit laughing, "I'm sorry, I'm assuming he broke up with you?" I just nodded, knowing if I tried to talk I'd probably start crying right there in the plane. _Come on Kim, get your head in the game... you can't fight Shego with tears in your eyes..._ "Hey, he doesn't know what he gave up." He was sitting across from me with his hand on my arm. _See, how many people can say they have someone who'll be there like Ron is for me right now?... how many times has he been there for me too?... you're his best friend, isn't that what he's supposed to do, you know try and make you feel better..._ I again looked up and made eye contact, I saw a lot of things in that instant that hadn't been there before, _or I've been too blind to see_. I saw how much he cares for me; I saw pain, it took me a second to realize that he was in pain because he was seeing me in pain, _he cares that much?_. And, I saw two other things I've rarely seen: confusion and that he was hiding something.

"Thanks Ron, you don't know how much that means to me." I wrapped my arms around him, _a hug always makes things better_, but something strange happened, he hesitated. He got stiff for a split second before returning it, _Ron never hesitates to give me a hug... he usually pulls me into one... he's nervous?... what could he be nervous about?... this hug?... why would he be nervous about a hu... no, he couldn't... could he?... he thinks of me as just a friend... right?... let's look at the facts: he's always there for me, he would do anything at all to make sure I'm safe (he even goes on missions and has done some amazing things when I was in trouble), and he tries everything in his power to make sure I'm happy... oh no, he does, doesn't he?... Ron Stoppable, my best friend, likes me..._

He ran his fingers through my hair knowing that it would calm me down, "It's okay, that's what I'm here for, to make sure you remember you can do anything. Did you hear me, you can do anything? And you don't need Josh to do it." _I should really stop him before he says too much... what is too much?... and do you really care?... so what if he likes you?... don't you like him?... yes, I mean no, no I don't like him like that... are you sure?... come on Kim, this is just your broken heart grabbing onto the closest thing... you're probably reading too much into it..._

I sat back up, more confused than I was, but no longer crying. _I need to talk to Monique when this mission is over... she'll know what to do..._ "You're always there, aren't you Ron?" His smile said he wasn't going anywhere, "And you're right, I can do anything and I don't need Monkey Boy to do it." Ron's eyes lit up a bit when I used his nickname for my ex. "So time to get my game face on, Drakken and Shego have taken one of the most heavily fortified U.S. Army bases, this one just happens to also hold a good portion of gold bullion. That means no sneaking in through vents, the army knows how to build stuff so vents are basically useless for infiltration. So that leaves two options: one, we walk in side by side, knocking anybody who gets in our way back out of our way, once inside you take Dr. D and I take Shego. Or two, you make a BIG distraction and fight a lot of massive henchmen by yourself and I try and sneak in and kick Shego's butt. When you get done with the guards you come in and stop the Doc before he can leave."

"Hmm, let's see, massive frontal assault by both of us or misdirection. I'm going to go with the tried and true method, **distraction**! Boo-Yah!" I knew he'd go with the distraction plan, even if it means he'll be fighting all the goons by himself, _no... especially if it means he'll be fighting the goons by himself... he doesn't want me to be tired when I take on Shego_. I used to worry about him, _I still do... just now I trust he can pull it off... _I don't know how, but he always seems to come in right on cue and there's not a henchman in sight. I've never asked and he never tells, _I might have to ask sometime..._

"Okay, you've got goon control and I've got fire control." My Kimmunicator beeped, alerting us we were 15 minutes from drop, "You better get into mission clothes, unless you want to wear that." I said pointing to his baggy pants and red jersey he always wears. "It's not that I have any problem with it, but you're going to stick out like a sore thumb."

As he got up and grabbed the clothes I brought for him he said, "Isn't that the idea, I stick out get everyones' attention and you are all covert like and get in unseen?" The smirk on his face told me that it didn't matter if he was invisible, there was going to be a big distraction and they wouldn't be able to ignore him.

"Just get dressed, and I put a belt in there. You know, just in case you don't want to loose your pants again." _not that I mind... KIM POSSIBLE, you naughty little girl... this is Ron, you know, your best **friend**... well hes a 'boy' and he's my 'friend'... no, you're just on the rebound... game face time..._ Fortunately, he was already on his way to the bathroom and didn't see my skin match my hair.

I wasn't paying attention when he came back out and threw my parachute at me, "Unless you have some super power I don't know about that involves jumping out of planes with out a chute, put this on." I did as I was told, and made my way to the door. I could tell he was thinking about something, _what is going on in your head Ron?... I'm Kim, KP, your best friend, you can tell me..._ Then he looked at me his thoughtful face replaced with that 'this is gonna be fun' smirk, I heard the buzzer and saw the light above the door flash and Ron disappeared.

A few seconds later the process repeated with me. I loved the feeling of free fall, it was as close to flying, out side of a vehicle that is, as I could find. But like all good things, it's got to end sometime. I reached for the cord on the right chest strap and tugged... I was still flying, _falling however you want to look at it_, so I pulled a little harder and nothing happened. _Oh this is just great... _I yanked as hard as I could on the ring, it gave way, _whew, that was close..._ It took a second for my brain to realize the ring gave way, but the earth was still getting bigger and closer by the second. _Okay, where is the spare?..._ I finally found the spare cord, I hadn't used it in so long I had almost forgot where it was. **_Whoop!_** I finally started breathing again when I heard that sound.

I looked around below me to see if I could find Ron's chute, but I didn't see it anywhere. _Please tell me his parachute worked..._ as I was praying this I looked up to see a tie-dye rectangle floating off in the distance. _I guess I passed him on the way down... gonna have to tell him he's slow..._ I noticed that coming in this low before opening might actually work to my advantage, one Ron opened that eye sore first, so they're gonna be watching him, two, the landing might be rough but I'll be in the sky less time and therefore have less of a chance to be spotted, and three I can get into a position to get inside as soon as Ron starts his thing and the guards leave their posts, _I don't think distraction is a good word anymore... that's what he used to do... run around and just get people to chase him... now he gets them to chase him, then he neutralizes the threat... he's brave to take on that many henchmen on his own... that my Ron for you... I mean Ron, not my Ron, just Ron... game face... think about this later... no don't think about this later, or ever for that matter..._ I mentally slapped myself back to the current situation.

I finally found my way to the entrance, it looked like the hovercraft parked next to it had a new toy. A large cylinder was attached to an arm on the underside of the vehicle, and the front of the repository looked like it had been cut off then picked up and moved a hundred feet, I assumed that the standard laser, _well for evil hovercraft's it's standard_, had made the still smoldering cut and the new appendage on the vehicle was a tractor beam of sorts and they just moved the whole front of the building, _brings a whole new meaning to drive through bank..._

**_Squelch _**"We're gonna need back-up, that unsightly thing that dropped in was apparently a warning, the contact has disposed of 15, make that 17 of the men in my squad alone. Over" I heard the radio from the closest goon, _wow, Ron is totally rocking..._

"You've got everybody we can spare. Over" The Head Guard replied, he looked firm but from years of experience I could tell he was scared, _I would be too if I heard one contact was taking out entire squads of fellow henchmen... way to go Ron!_

**_Squelch_** "Chuck's team is gone, I've got 3 men left and I don't know where Frank went. We need back-up!"

**_Squelch_** "Cancel that, back-up is no longer needed. All contacts have been neutralized. Over" _No, Ron! He can't be... he just said neutralized, not killed or eliminated... but I recognize that voice... probably one of the regulars... no, I know that voice..._

"Identify yourself soldier. Can you repeat that? Did you say _all_ contacts have been neutralized? I thought there was just one of them. Over" The captain was getting very nervous right now.

**_Squelch _**"I'm not a soldier, and yeah, you heard me... _All_ contacts have been neutralized. Unless you sent more than 3 squads at me, if that's the case I don't know where they are. Probably tucked tail and ran, which makes them the smartest ones here." _BOO-YAH! you're amazing... _I wanted to yell something right then but restrained myself. "Oh yeah, the name's Stoppable, Ron Stoppable. Over."

"Come on men, we've got a single man out there who thinks he can stop Dr. Drakken and Shego. And unless you want to face her for failing, I'd suggest we go stop him five minutes ago." The captain had gone from nervous to flat out scared, but he didn't show it in his face. I guess he knew that the men would pick up on it, all he showed was confidence that _one man _was 'no big'. And they took off towards where the previous failed encounter had happened.

Once I made it to the vault, with only a small delay, I heard, "Come on Shego, we don't want to dally. It'd be our luck that pesky _Kim Possible_ will show up at the most unfortunate time and foil our plans." _You have no idea how right you are..._ I smirked to myself.

"If you wouldn't waste your money on useless shrink beams, death rays, or whatever other hair brained scheme that you read about in _Villains' Digest_ you wouldn't have to be knocking over a gold deposit to pay your bills. Speaking of which, the last paycheck I got only covers you for another 2 hours and 13 minutes. If I don't have a check in my hand that _won't _bounce before then I walk out and let Kimmie do what ever she want with you."

"Hate to break in like this, and even though it is tempting to wait and see if Shego would really just step out of the way, I have a life that doesn't revolve around you. I'd like to get back to it." They both turned towards me. Shock and frustration on their faces (shock on Drakken's and frustration on Shego's).

"What, you can't be here. I hired the best henchmen for this, not even the US Army could stand up to my plan. How?" _Why is he ever surprised... I always show up and stop him..._

"Dr. D, you said so yourself she would probably show up at the most unfortunate time, well she did, honestly why do you act surprised? Deal with getting the gold, I'll handle Princess here." with that her hands took on a familiar green glow, _can't she just fight fair for once?_

"The only thing you're gonna have a handle on is the toilet in your cell." _I love to see her get riled up... but wait a second I didn't say that..._ I looked towards the entrance and saw Ron walking in like he owned the place.

"Do you want me to blast you before or after Kimmie?" Shego was not too pleased with him at the moment. I knew Ron didn't stand a chance against her, but so did he... I thought.

"I'll try and leave something for her. Bring it." I was stunned, maybe more than the green woman standing across from me was. She turned an eye to me, I just shrugged and lowered my defense. _What are you doing Ron?... are you trying to get yourself hurt?..._ but I also knew enough not to try and stop him, he was fairly sensitive about being the sidekick, _even though I still say partner... hmm, partner, has a nice ring to it... focus on the here and now Kim_, but I was going to step in if I thought he was going to get hurt.

"So, you decided to be the man in this relationship and stick up for your girlfriend? Just as well, I don't see any problem with taking you first." She leapt across the room towards him, he just stood there. At first I thought he was just not fast enough to react to the attack, then at the last possible instant he moved his head out of the path her foot was taking grabbed her leg and swung her to the ground. I saw him reach for his pocket to grab restraints, but Shego took advantage of the split second distraction and lifted herself off the floor, throwing Ron off and back a few feet.

He landed on his feet, smirked then said, "One, I've always been a man, two she's not my girlfriend, and three, well three is... Well there is a three, I just seem to have trouble remembering it right now. Been having trouble with that lately." _Wow, Ron is not only holding his own but trading banter with her in the process... and I have to agree with his first statement, he **is** a man... and the second one, well he's right... but that could change... Kim, not now... you just broke up with Josh... you're heartbroken and Ron's available... wait till you have a little time to clear your head..._

"Touchy much are we. Fine, let's just finish this so the Doctor can pay me." The tone in her voice had changed from one of amusement/annoyance to frustration/anger.

"You're right for once, let's get this over with. As much as I really don't want to, I have homework that I really need to get done, a big biology project." As he was saying this they approached each other looking for an opening, he saw one and took it. He landed a glancing shot on her ribs, but she was fast enough to avoid the full force of it and return a swing. He was slightly off balance from the lunge he'd just taken and her fully lit hand made contact with his back, knocking him to the ground. She jumped and was going to finish the job, but he rolled out of the way, again just in the nick of time, and her fist shattered the floor where he had just been. In the process of getting up Ron swung a leg under the emerald figure, dropping her to the ground. "Have you ever met someone named Steve Barkin? You remind me of him; cranky, controlling, and don't know when to give up."

I couldn't help but laugh as Ron slipped the restraints on Shego. I saw her hands glow, but no flames came then I remembered, "Sorry Shego, I forgot to mention Wade figured out a way to keep you from torching anything/body with those." The look on her face was worth it. I heard an engine powering up in the distance, _crap Drakken is going to get away..._

Ron, saw my face and laughed, _what's he laughing at... the villain is going to get away with a good chunk of gold... _"Don't worry he's not going anywhere besides jail. I stopped inside and had Wade walk me through disabling the navigation systems, or well, I tried. Ended up I just hooked the Kimmunicator to the console and let Wade do the dirty work, actually I think he took control of it remotely rather than just disable it." He looked down, apparently not happy that he wasn't able to do it himself. _You took out most, if not all of the henchmen... you took down Shego on your first attempt... and you're upset because you can't reprogram a stupid hovercraft?..._

"Ron, what you've done today is amazing. You have nothing to be ashamed of, you basically did this mission, I didn't even get to fight, well unless the dozen guards in the building I ran into on my way down, but nothing serious. I heard you take out 3 squads and taunt the others into taking chase. Then you came in and took Shego one on one. No, you did more than just take her on, you beat her. You, Ron Stoppable, beat Shego." I was winded from saying that in one breath. _I wish my boyfriend... wait, ex-boyfriend had half the courage of Ron... Why did Josh break up with me... it's not like I **wanted** to bail on our date... but when DNAmy starts creating real life Cuddle Buddies, that aren't so cuddly, someone has to step in... Ron and I had to go stop her..._

**Ron's POV**

_Talk about a confidence booster... my best friend just told me I'm amazing... _My best friend also decided that I was in need of another hug, _not that I'm complaining... it's just I'm confused... I know I have feelings for her, but she doesn't have feelings for me... does she?... I mean, it's probably got something to do with the break up... I've seen this before... she just needs my shoulder to cry on... nothing more, we're friends remember?... I wouldn't complain about being more, I don't think... just shut up and enjoy the hug..._

"Can you call GJ and have them hurry, I need to call and complain about cruel and unusual punishment. I really didn't need to watch you two go through all that mushy friendship crap." I let go of Kim and stepped over to the bound woman on the floor.

"It looks like someone could use a little TLC. What do you say, a hug for old time sake?" I saw the fury build in her eyes, "No? Okay, if that's how you feel."

Walking towards the door I heard Shego talking to Kim, "I don't know what you did to the buffoon, but you'd better get a hold of him before someone else does. Not many people can say they fought with me and walked away, and I can only think of two people, counting him, that have ever beat me." _Relationship advice from Shego?... who would have thought her to be the Dr. Phil type... _I kept walking, not waiting to hear the rest of that conversation, I know that they may go at it physically, but they're still women and they need 'girl time' together.

The only thing going through my head was, _is KP going to follow that advice?... and if she does, what am I going to do... I mean, yeah it would be a 'Boo-Yah' moment... but do I really want to go there with Kim?... we've been so close for so long, I don't want to chance it... and I haven't, but if she asks... and then there's last night... I know nothing happened and she just needed a friend's shoulder to cry on... wait, Bonnie, me, friends?... okay, so maybe that's a bit of a stretch... well, isn't it?... okay, so weird as it is, I'm going to say: Bonnie and I are friends... closet friends though... but last night?... I've slept with KP during and after missions, so that in itself was no big deal to me... but was it to her?..._

My thoughts were interrupted by the whir of a hovercraft circling overhead, _what in the world?_ My Kimmunicator beeped and I answered it. "Man, I wish I could see the look on Dr. Drakken's face right now." were the first words out of the little computer wiz's mouth.

"So my little detour was worth it," I said more as a statement than a question, "Is he just going to circle till GJ arrives, if so I'll have KP bring Shego up."

"One step ahead of you two." I spun to see Kim directing Shego (short restraints on her ankles to prevent escape) out of the rubble that was once the front of a building.

"They should be there momentarily, with a transport for the two of you. I pulled a few strings, they needed to test a new transport plane and I said we needed a ride." The kid looked pleased with himself, "They weren't too happy that I knew about the plane, or that one had been built, and definitely weren't happy that I knew it was in testing phase; but, they got over it and agreed to give you a ride."

I looked around at the rubble, "Where's this transport plane gonna land, and aren't they slow?"

"Normal transport planes are slow, you're right. This prototype is, well faster. It's basically an airborne version of a APC. One squad of troops and supporting equipment moving stealthily at roughly mach 3.4, plus it has VTOL capabilities. I'm trying to 'acquire' one for our permanent use, but some technical difficulties about leaking of sensitive information to civilians."

"You Rock Wade!" came the musical voice over my shoulder, looking at the schematics he'd put on the screen, _I think he's showing off... but it's allowed when you're **that** good..._

About then our ride showed up. Some troops jumped out of the basic transport helicopter and formed a circle around a bare patch of ground, I began to wonder what they were doing till the hovercraft landed itself in the middle of said circle. Another couple troops took Shego off our hands, and we watched as a streamlined transport jet stopped in mid air and lowered itself to the ground. _Awesome... I want one!_

The ride home was... well let's just say Wade wasn't lying when he said it was fast. He did forget to mention the inertial dampener things, basically made it so maneuverability wasn't an issue and the forces the body were put through were a LOT less than they would have been. Even being as fast as it was, I knew that it would be late when we got back to Middleton, so when Kim stepped in the bathroom to change out of her mission clothes I made a quick phone call.

"_Hello?_"

"Hey, it's Ron. I'm just now on my way back from the mission, it's going to be late when I get in... so how about we do that thing tomorrow? That work for you?"

"_You think I don't have plans on Saturday?_"

"No I figured you probably did, I just didn't know if you would have any free time. I guess if it's too much of a hassle, just call me when you want to do it."

"_Tomorrow will work, how about around 3, then you can get some sleep and maybe be useful._"

"Sounds good, talk to you then."

"_Bye._"

_**Click**_

_That was, interesting... yeah, interesting is a good word for it... I'm almost looking forward to working on that project... well maybe not so much the project itself... okay, I've really got to quit thinking like this... Bonnie wouldn't stoop that low... why would I want her too?... no lying, you'd enjoy it if you got a chance to get to know Bonnie Rockwaller better... well, maybe... _I heard footsteps coming from the back of the plane, _oh, great... just what I need... something else to think about... I wonder how she's taking the whole Josh is a monkey thing?... _

"Hey, are you alright there Ron? You look like you got something on your mind." I looked up into her emerald eyes, _you're her friend first and foremost... don't forget that..._

"Yeah, I'm fine. Actually, I was wondering about how you were handling things? I mean, breaking up with Josh couldn't have..." she cut me off.

"He broke up with me!"

"Okay, sorry KP. But that mixed with me taking over the mission, by the way sorry about that, and everything else going on in your life I didn't know how you were doing." She sat down beside me, I could tell she was trying it take everything in at once. _I didn't know I had it in me either... I figured Shego would toy with me but waste some energy before getting bored... I honestly expected Shego to say I wasn't worth her time and walk away to fight Kim..._

"I'm not mad at you, I'm actually a little surprised, inagoodway" she added quickly, "I've never seen you move or fight like that. I guess being the distraction for so long I just assumed that you'd figured out the art of running real fast and keeping people's attention. I never thought about how recently when you showed back up, there were no goons chasing you." I could tell she was holding something else back.

"KP, I grew up a little. As you'd say 'no big'. And as for me taking out Shego, I'm pretty sure that was just a fluke, I want GJ to do a full physical to make sure she was healthy." I had no doubt she was, my back will attest to that.

"Don't put yourself down, you took on one of the best and won. Now, I'm not going to say it didn't have something to do with a wonderful teacher or anything." she grinned as she said it, "I do however want you to know that you are my partner, not my sidekick, today just proves that. And you know what?" I gave her a blank look, "I'll bet they, well at least Shego, remembers your name." I smiled, but I could tell there was something else on her mind.

"Thanks. But, what about you. You seem to be avoiding the whole question, how are you handling things?"

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, _yeah right_, "I'll be fine." She looked over at me to see I was giving her the 'and pigs fly' look (they might if DNAmy gets a wild idea, but that doesn't count) "Okay, so I'm really bummed about Josh. I mean we I thought things..." I didn't tone her out, I just resorted to selective hearing, _and the difference is?... there's a big difference... and that is?... okay so it's the same... but she has the same problems with him every time... he's mad because she keeps going on missions... and he's jealous that I spend more time with her than he does... and everybody knows we're just friends... wait a second, here it comes..._ Right on cue, she leaned over and buries her face on my shoulder, and I wrap my arms around her and stroke her hair. _I don't know when or how I figured it out... but running my fingers through her hair calms her down..._

"Shh, it's okay. I'm here for you, you'll be fine. Just let it out." I cooed, _I may be confused about what I want... but I know something I **don't** want, and that's an upset Kim..._

When we got back to her place she asked if I just would stay and talk some more, who am I to tell my best friend no. I told the pilot to go on, we'd be fine.

Inside we went back to how we were on the plane, her head buried herself into my chest and continued to cry, "It's not only Josh, I feel like everything is falling apart. I'm feeling things I didn't know I could feel, or have refused to admit I feel for so long." _Is she talking about us?... oh no, not now... I'm not ready to answer..._ "I have somethings I need to work out on my own before I talk about them with anybody. They're just so hard to carry alone." Relief passed over me like a flood.

"You're never alone, I'm always here for you. We've been here for each other since forever ago. KP, I understand you need to work things out, but even when you're doing that, you're not alone." I really meant it, I don't care what she's dealing with or whether she can tell me or not, I'm going to be here for her. "That's what best friends are for."


	4. Dirty Little Secrets

A/N: In response to the many comments referring to Ron's _sudden_ (I don't think it's all that off given the circumstances) ability to take out Shego, I will try and explain why I did this. One: Shego thinks of Ron as the buffoon, not a serious threat when it comes to fighting, therefore she underestimated him just like most people do. He's not as inept as he let's people believe, (this is opinion here...) I think it's a good cover for when he is actually needed (...end of opinion). Two: You are too impatient, and if you pay attention all (or at least most) will be explained in this chapter.

As for Kim standing there and just watching, I wasn't sure what to have her do. I'm going to sum it up to shock, watching Ron step up and go toe-to-toe with Shego was probably a humbling experience. And I think it adds nicely to her confusion.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible, if I did, I would be rich and my stories would be on TV rather than here.

* * *

**Kim's POV**

_Five more minutes... except, I'm waking up on my own... still, five more minutes..._ I always seem to have this argument with myself, or whoever dares try and wake me, I'm just not a morning person. At least today I was comfortable, not stiff and it's nice and warm under the covers with my body pillow, _but I don't have a body pillow?... Pandaroo?... nope, too big to be the Cuddle Buddy... _I forced my eyes open against the light filtering in through the window, _Ron and I must have crashed on the couch... _it took a second for what I just thought to sink in and take effect, _oh no... I didn't say anything that I might regret did I?... I don't want to lead Ron on till I know for sure how I feel is real and not just a rebound... think Kim, what happened... what did you say?..._ I finally wrapped my conscious mind around last night's conversation and breathed a sigh of relief, _it's not that I don't want to like Ron that way... I just don't want to think I do, then figure out I was wrong and hurt him... he might not forgive that, not even his best friend... well, at least this isn't **too** weird... I mean it's happened before, we're both too tired to make it to a bed and just fall asleep on the couch or on the floor... I'm just going to enjoy it this time for different reasons... KIM!... okay, so no thinking like that... he is a good pillow though..._

My arms were already wrapped around him in a partial hug and my head was resting on his chest, _more definition than I remember... he must be working out_, so I had no problem just pulling myself in closer. _Who could blame me... I mean, I have this amazing man laying on the couch with me... and I know he won't mind... Kim, think this through before you do something... well, something dumb..._

**Ron's POV**

As my mind found it's way back to a usable state, my body was screaming at me. _Ouch... now I know why Kim is stiff in the mornings... Shego packs quite the punch..._ I finally pried my eyes open and looked around, _good, I'm at KP's... _then a light went off in my head and I looked down, my body was to busy yelling about me being a moron for taking on Shego to mention that I had a red haired body laying on me and was snuggling in tighter. There were only five words going through my head right then, _Deep Space Black Hole Probe... well, maybe not... I mean it's not like this hasn't happened before, and I'm still a citizen of Earth... besides, she's probably asleep and is just subconsciously pulling herself towards the closest source of warmth... yeah that's it, she's asleep and just doesn't know better... she'll wake up and blush, say sorry and things will go back to normal... right?..._ My hopes were shattered when I realized the red on my chest was now framing two emeralds.

"Finally decide to wake up?" she was smiling which means she'd been awake for more than 5 minutes. She's not a morning person and the only facial expressions she knows withing 5 minutes of waking up are 'leave me alone', 'I hate you', and 'leave me alone because I hate you'.

"Thinking it might be better to go back to sleep," thinking about the pain I was feeling, then I saw her eyes turn down, _duh, she thinks it's because of her..._ "I have a major pain in the back." _curse the English language and all it's double usages_, "What I mean, is I'm sore from yesterday, and sleeping it off sounds like a real good idea right now."

Once my intended meaning was out, her glow returned. "Well, it was your first time, I know the first time hurts. I remember my firs..."

_**Cough, cough**_

I about bolted from the couch, if I wasn't so sore and Kim wasn't laying half on top of me I might have succeeded, but the way things were it looked like I was having a convulsion. I saw the blood draining from Kim's face and followed her line of sight to see, _oh man... can't I just get a break?_, Mrs. Dr. P. _Well at least it isn't Mr. Dr. P._ "Am I interrupting something?"

"This isn't what it looks like, I swear. We just came in from the mission late and I was comforting Kim and we ended up sleeping together on the couch." _Again I cursed the English language_, "And by sleep I mean unconsciousness and rest. I took on Shego and there is no way I could have... I'm going to shut up now while I'm behind."

Kim had apparently lost the ability to talk at the sight of her mom, and _she_ just stood there looking like she was trying to decide what to do with us, _please don't call Mr. Dr. P..._ for a few seconds before laughing, not some small giggle or a restrained laugh. No she was laughing at us, when she finally got the ability to talk back she said, "Don't worry I know, I woke up last night to make sure you'd made it in safe, and saw you two on the couch. Where do you think the blanket came from? You just might want to censor your conversations around your father."

The slightly slower morning mind of the red head closest to me realized what she'd been saying when her mom decided to enter, "No, we weren't talking about _that_, I was talking about the first time I fought Shego. Don't you remember how sore I was? Well, yesterday Ron took on Shego by himself, and won. Obviously, at a price though." _Nice save KP... it may be the truth but there's no way I'd even buy that... I don't even think the Puppy Dog Pout could help..._

"Impressive Ron on your _first time_. Well, I didn't figure I needed to call and have your father reserve Ron a seat, I just couldn't resist when I heard what you were saying." I thought she was enjoying this way too much, but I gave her a half-hearted laugh and laid my head back, _Oh what a wonderful way to start the day..._

I felt Kim relax a bit and lay her head back down too, _come on, you need to clear your head... step away from the situation and take a look at it from the outside..._ "Hey KP?" she lifted her head enough to let me know she acknowledged me, "I really got to go."

"What and work on your project? I'll bet you've had enough of Bonnie to last a lifetime or two." _And then there's her... the other person who had me confused... _Kim was right too a point, _yeah, but what about past that point... you're curious about Bonnie?... maybe just a little..._

I hadn't been thinking about Bonnie till KP brought it up, "Actually, I really got to _go_. As in I haven't used the bathroom in a while."

She got off me, then helped me up. _Ouch, how does she deal with this after every mission?... I feel like I got hit by a semi..._ After a few steps I decided it'd be better if there was someone there to stabilize me, so I motioned Kim to lend me her shoulder, "What, did Ronnie bite off more than he can chew?" I knew she was just giving me a hard time, _especially after the pep talk she gave you yesterday_.

"Well, I've got a big mouth, and I don't think that many people can bite off more than me." My humor was returning, _and for the first time in about a week I was grateful for double meanings in the English language_.

"I might have to agree with you there, Mister 'I can put 3 taco's away in 15 seconds'. But, when it comes to fighting, well let's just say you earned yourself a seat at the _big kid _table yesterday."

I reached for the door frame at the bathroom, Kim thought I was loosing my balance and tightened her hold on my waist, "Well, unless you plan on helping me in here..." I couldn't resist, and the way her face matched her hair for an instant made it worth the smack on my shoulder, _ouch, I don't remember hitting my shoulder?... I'm probably going to be sore everywhere for a while..._

Finishing my business I started the long trek back to the living room, one I'd made _many_ times, it just never seemed this long. _I need to get away to think... ouch, and I need to work some of this stiffness out..._

I heard something right then I wasn't sure was a good thing, "Hey, Ron we heard how..."

"...You beat Shego, and handed..."

"...Drakken to GJ on a silver platter. Hicka-Bicka-Boo!"

"Hoo-sha!" Then they were gone, _Whew, I know I can't move fast enough to dodge a stray rocket._

"Hey KP, how do you move the day after a mission against Shego? I mean seriously, I feel like an oak board." I really wanted to know, _did she have a personal masseuse or something?... because that's the only way I can picture moving in any form of the word normal in the next 3 days..._

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." I gave her my 'try me' look, "Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you. I usually stretch as best as I can then go for a jog, nothing too much, just a couple miles around the park or something."

My jaw hit the ground, "There is no way you can even think about jogging if you feel like I do." But the look on her face said she was quite serious, "Okay, well... I guess if it'll help. Do you want to help me stretch before I take off?"

"Sure, but why don't you go change into something besides your mission clothes, and when you get back you can take a nice hot shower." _I don't know if I'll be able to wash my back... no, Ron, no, bad thoughts... okay, so if I can't have Kim help what about Bo... NO RON, NO MORE THINKING! okay, no more thinking for me... I'm good at that..._

I made my way, with a little more ease than earlier down the hall to Kim's room. I've spent enough time here I have a corner of her closet that is unofficially mine, I have a couple sets of mission clothes and probably half a dozen sets of everything else I might where on a daily basis. I went with a pair of loose fitting, but not baggy, jeans since I was going to be jogging and a black turtle neck.

"Do you want company? If so I'll go get changed real quick and join you, if not, I'm going to take a shower like I mentioned to you earlier, and go back to sleep." I looked at her, _I really need time alone... but company on a jog makes it more enjoyable... I really need to clear my head... but **she** would be there... I really need to do this on my own... I'm in the same boat as Kim right now, I need to figure things out for myself... fine..._

"Na, you just get some rest. I'll be back before you know it." And I took off out the door, _Holy Sweet Monkey's in Havana it's cold out here... well, maybe the chill will help keep me focused... _

I was glad they cleared the roads while we were gone yesterday, made jogging a whole lot easier than it would have been in 4-5 feet of snow, _why couldn't they do it Thursday... oh quit complaining, you enjoyed the time you spent with Bonnie... I did, didn't I?... weird, that's another thing I never thought would happen, I enjoyed Bonnie's company... but did she enjoy her time... that's a dumb question... of course not, you're too low on the food chain to even be associated with in public... I didn't ask whether she wanted to be seen in public near you, I asked if she enjoyed herself... ... I honestly don't know... I mean we **were** kind of forced to work together on that dumb project... but she did smile and, if memory serves me, she laughed once or twice... so she might have enjoyed working on the project with you, right?... I don't know, I guess she **might** have enjoyed some of the time... okay, so would you like to spend more time with her?... let's think about this, actually I almost don't have to think, she's a very attractive cheerleader with a drive to accomplish whatever she sets her sights on... I definitely think I could spend more time with her... but there's no way she'd want to spend time with me... are you sure about that? I mean have you asked her?... no, but that's only because I want to be able to walk and eat solid food, I really doubt nacho's are good through a straw... are you seriously afraid of Bonnie?... well, yeah kind of, I mean I can face any villain, but I'm scared of her... why are you scared of her?... because, because I guess I can deal with the whole getting beat up things, I just think she could beat me in ways that I've never been beat before... not physically, but deeper... so you're scared of getting yourself hurt?... isn't that what's stopping you from going after Kim?... oh man, why did I have to think of her right now?... I'm really confused... I mean, I've known KP for ever, and we know each other better than anybody else... she's my best friend and I don't want to loose that over some crazy hormones... but I also don't want to throw away a chance at true happiness because I'm afraid that what I feel is just crazy hormones... _I really wanted to pull my hair out right then, but I my fingers were too cold to get a good grip, and I really didn't want to have to explain the premature balding in one location.

_So, you want to wait and see if KP makes the first move, right?... she is usually the more aggressive type anyways... but do you want to wait on that?... and you know that right now she's on the rebound... I know I'm not going to try and start anything with Kim... I can't chance loosing my best friend in the whole world... I think you're forgetting something... no, I'm not forgetting, I'm choosing not to acknowledge... why?... don't tell me you don't like blue eyes... ... I felt like I was flying when I looked in them... plus, she's not so evil... once you get past the fact that it's 'Bonnie'... _I wasn't paying any attention to where I was running and bumped someone running the other way.

"Sorry, Bon-Bon." As I was helping her up I realized two things, one I just _ran into_ Bonnie. And two, I said Bon-Bon, _I am so dead right now_.

"Watch where you're... Oh, hey Ron. Sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, I didn't expect to see anybody else out running with the weather like it is." She was red, I couldn't tell if it was because of the cold or because she was blushing, _I'm going with cold_.

"Neither did I." after a short, _and might I add very uncomfortable_, silence I asked, "Sooo, what are you doing out here?"

"I guess I could ask you the same. But since you asked first, I was just out trying to clear my head. Got a lot going on right now," _I understand that feeling... but what all is going on for her?..._ "You know the project, cheerleading, and school in general." She added that last part in a bit quick, _I don't have the brain capacity to understand what I'm thinking AND try and understand what she's thinking... if she wants to talk about it she will..._ "And, you?"

"About the same, except the whole worrying about cheerleading and school thing. I'm trying to work out some stiffness in my back and clear my head, I know big shocker I'm actually using that thing between my ears." She tried to laugh at my weak attempt at a joke but the Mr. Frost had other ideas and she just shivered. "Hey, are we still on for three?"

"Yeah, three will work. If you want to you can come over sooner, I'm about ready to call it quits for today. And I might have something that will help your back." She instantly got redder but I didn't feel the wind blow by or the temperature drop, _I didn't think that was possible at this point_, and added, "No rush though, if you have something you need to do, do it."

"Well, I don't have any real plans for today. I was just gonna relax a bit and hang out with a friend for a while. But we see each other all the time; I'll stop by after lunch sometime, sound good?" _Now, why in the world did you just do that?... better question, why did Bonnie ask you to come over earlier?... _my brain started to complain about too much usage.

"Yeah, guess I'll see you then." But neither one of us moved. Finally breaking the silence she started away and over her shoulder said, "Bye Ron." I stood there for a couple more seconds watching her run away, _didn't mind the view either..._ Then to prevent my mind from regressing any further I turned back the way I was going in the first place, _okay, granted there is nobody else here, but did Bonnie just speak to you in a civil manner in a public place?... not a single snide remark... _ Replaying the conversation in my head a couple times as I made my way back to the Possible residence I realized two things, she didn't kill me for saying 'Bon-Bon',_ she didn't say anything at all about it really_, and she said she had something to help my back that caused her to blush, _well I think she blushed... it's kind of hard to tell with the cold weather..._

I reached the door of both Heaven and Hell, _Heaven because there's a hot shower and a beautiful woman in there... Hell because, well there's a beautiful woman in there and I really don't want to explain to her what I am doing today... It's not that she won't understand I need to get the project done, she says I put things off too much as is... she's just going to ask 20 questions about why I'm all of a sudden motivated to work, especially with Bonnie..._

The promise of a hot shower finally won over and I knocked once as I entered, _something nice about spending as much time here as at home... open door policy... I even have a key..._ "Hey, Ron. Kim's still asleep, do you want me to wake her?" The older woman in the house asked as I shut the cold out behind me.

"Yeah, if you would. I'm gonna take a shower, I'm thinking Bueno Nacho for lunch, then I have school work I need to go get done." _I'll break it to KP on neutral territory... might have Monique meet us, she watches GWA and would make a good referee..._

Standing in the flow of steaming water I looked over my body to make sure there weren't any wounds that needed attending too I'd missed. Fortunately, there weren't any besides the large bruise in the middle of my back, _plasma fists are something to avoid from now on... and they weren't before?... they were, just now I know what happens if you don't... Kim was right, I do feel better after that jog... not good by any means, but I'll be able to manage on my own till it works itself out..._

"I think the Ron-man has earned himself a chimerito, grande sized of course, on me." This was music to my ears as I hobbled down the stairs.

"Boo-Yah! Hey, why don't you call Monique and see if she wants to meet us there?" _Not only will she be able to ref, but then I won't feel like I'm bailing on KP totally..._

"Anything for my Ron." and she was gone, up the stairs to her room to get her cell I'm sure. My brain must have been in extra slow mode because it took a few seconds to realize what she'd said, _'Anything for **my** Ron'... not 'Anything for Ron' or 'Anything for the hero'... she just called me **her** Ron... calm down Ron, you're just reading too much into this... it was probably just a slip... what a Freudian slip?... no thinking right now, just prepare to enjoy free food..._

I was thrilled when I saw Monique waiting on us at our regular booth, _not because I was thrilled to see her, but because it would make my life easier in a while... I'm not saying that she isn't a great person to hang out with... Ron, shut up... you don't like Monique, time to nip this bud before it gets a chance to do anything... _ I knew I was right, I liked Monique as a mutual friend of a friend, but nothing else. The other female at the booth, _the one sitting extremely close to you_, was a different story.

Waiting on our food I listened as Kim recounted every painful detail of my bout with Shego. Apparently, I mixed some of the things I'd learned from KP, Monkey Kung Fu, and a little of something Kim didn't recognize, _after describing it Monique squealed that it was GWA... and they say TV rots the brain..._

Ned called that our food was ready, and Kim jumped up to get it. Leaving me at the temporary mercy of Monique, "What's going on Ron, you haven't hardly said a word since you got here. You should be pumped, you beat Shego, and from what I can tell you might be getting your wish."

I was dumbfounded, _how did she know?... or rather what did she know?_, "Wh-what are you talking about Mon? I am pumped, I'm just sore."

"Don't play dumb with me, she may not see it but I've known since I first met you two. I just think some recent events might have opened her eyes to the possibility. Unless I'm way off about you, in which case you might want to fill me in so I can do damage control." _well technically she's not wrong... but right now she's not completely right either... man, I don't know what to do..._

Seeing Kim walking our direction again I said quickly, "Yes, you're right, I do. But things got complicated recently and I need to figure it out. If you want to help, stall."

Before she could say anything else the topic of discussion returned, "Time to feed the Beast."

"KP, you do realize you're not _that_ ugly, right?" this got a laugh out of Monique and another light hit on my shoulder, _at least it doesn't hurt as much anymore..._

"You two, break it up. There's food here, can't let it go to waste." Kim and I just hung our heads in mock shame and reached for our food. "That's better. Now, what are our plans for today?" _ she just had to bring that up right now didn't she?..._

"Well isn't there a sale at Club Banana? I thought I heard something about however far below freezing it got was the discount." _Did she have Wade put a camera in Club Banana so she could watch for sales or what?_

"You know it GF, and we got these oh-so-cute pants. Plus they're functional, they claim to keep you warm in the winter and keep you from roasting when you go in someplace that is to toasty without having to shed layers." _Just what I wanted, to spend the day shopping at Club Banana... wait, that's what they are doing... I have other plans... are you saying working on a biology report sounds like more fun than Club Banana?... it's not necessarily the project I'm looking forward to..._

"We're going to need a guys opinion on all this stuff." I could feel her eyes turn to me, _oh no..._ "Ron? Are you listening, we need a guys opinion on the stuff we buy. You know, to see if they will like what they see." _I already like what I see... It doesn't take Club Banana to do that..._

"Umm, I don't think I'm going to make it." Refusing to look to my right and keeping my eyes locked with Monique's, _please help me here... I need you to bail me out..._

I heard Kim take a breath to say something, but my dark-haired savior managed to speak first, "Well that's okay, I can just call Felix. I'm sure he'd be more than willing to watch two pretty ladies model. Is that okay with you Kim?"

"I guess," it was all I could do not to shudder when I heard her, she was upset, _why is she upset?... I've bailed on shopping before and she hasn't complained_, "So, if you can't make it, where are you going to be?" her tone was less than pleased but not accusative.

My mouth was full at the moment, and I don't think I've ever chewed a bite that much in my life, _well how do I deal with this?... well they say 'the truth will set you free'... okay, so here we go..._ "I kind of said I'd show up and work on something today." _see how hard was that?_

Then I made the mistake of making eye contact with Kim, "Show up where and work on what? I figured you'd want to celebrate for yesterday." _Okay, so she knows I'm not saying everything..._

"Well to be honest, Club Banana isn't my idea of celebration." _that was the truth... more like torture..._

"He's got a point, he only goes because he can't resist the PDP." _Thank you Monique... finally someone is on my side today... _I didn't turn to thank her fast enough, _NO, not... dang it Monique... I said I'd be there... I can't fall to it..._ I managed to face the person I _thought_ was trying to help me and to let her know I wasn't happy. But she already knew she'd slipped and was giving me the best unspoken apology she could muster.

"Ron, where are you going to be then? And will you look at me?" _persistent, I have to give her that..._

"Are you done trying to sway me with the PDP?" I watched Monique waiting for a sign then turned to face the very persuasive woman sitting beside me. "I am going to be working on something that the sooner it gets done the sooner it's out of my hair."

"You're avoiding answering the question I asked." She made a face that, while not _the pout_, was enough to break me.

"I told Bonnie I would be over after lunch. I ran into her, literally, while jogging and decided to work on it some more today. I just didn't want you to give me a hard time about spending this much time with her. Gives me a headache just thinking about it." _granted the headache is for different reasons than you think..._

"You never told me you were working with Bonnie on that thing! I'm assuming naked mole rats were out of the question then?" _thank you again Mon..._

"Yeah, we're doing it on dolphins. Did you know she's thinking about Marine Biology as a major? I figured if it'd help smooth things over with her I could deal with that. Besides it was right after we had the help of those trained ones to hit that under water base. Do you remember that KP?"

"That was so sweet, I never imagined we'd be swimming with dolphins. It was so amazing Mon, I wish you could have been there." _Thank you for distractions..._

"I told you after Australia, I'm not cut out for the whole hero business. At least without 20 years of training. Anyways, are you ready to go SHOPPING girlfriend. I'll call Renton on the way, I think I can persuade him to pull away from his video games for a couple hours to come watch us model." _Monique, you're not helping out here... thinking about KP modeling will be a hard image to get out of my head later... _(A/N: I know that in the corrected time-line the Australia thing never happened, but let's pretend it did)

"Alright, and Ron." I shot a look her direction in acknowledgment, "Have fun!" I could see the sarcasm floating in the air when she said that. _If she only knew... well, not that there's anything to really **know** about... but you know what I mean... man, I'm arguing with myself again..._

"I'll try not to do anything I might regret." I smiled and made my way home before I went to Bonnie's house.

At home I saw both my folks cars were gone, _it's weird, I haven't seen them since Wednesday before school... I guess that's what happens when blizzards and missions happen... and I'll bet they're gone on business for the weekend..._ Inside, my thoughts were confirmed, they had left me a note this morning:

_Ron,_

_We had to leave town for the weekend for work, there are left overs in the fridge and we left some cash for you in the envelope. Rufus was beginning to wonder if you were still alive, we left him with the Possible twins, they have taken care of him before and promised to do so again. Anyways, be careful. I hope your mission was a success and PLEASE do some homework this weekend._

_Love,_

_Mom and Dad_

For once I didn't feel any need to complain with their request to do homework, _probably the one and only time this will happen though_. So I grabbed my books and threw them in a pack, then as an after thought I grabbed a set of mission clothes, _just in case_, and started the blistering cold walk to the Rockwaller residence.

_**Knock, knock, knock**_

There was no answer, _hmm, I told her I was coming over didn't I... and she did say to come over early, right?... maybe I misunderstood her... I guess I could go get Rufus from Jim and Tim... well try one more time..._

_**Knock, knock, kno- eeeee**_

I'm no sucker for creepy movies, but when a door suddenly gives to knocking like that I get suspicious. "Bonnie? Hello, Bon-Bon? Anybody here?" The lights were on and I could hear the TV in the other room, but I didn't want to just barge in. I saw something out of the corner of my eye that made me want to smack myself, _a door bell, duh!_ I pulled the door back closed, _don't want to heat the outdoors now do I... oh no, now I sound like my parents_, and pushed the little button.

_**Ding, Dong.**_

It was one of those rich door bells, think _The Adam's Family_ style. "Coming!" _ Well at least someone is home... oh yeah, she's home alone this weekend too..._ When she opened the door I don't know who she was expecting, but when she saw me she stopped for a split second before letting me in. "Hey." _Hey?... a one word greeting from one of the most talkative people I know?... I guess she just doesn't have much to say to you... waste of breath with no one to laugh at her comments... come on, give her a break... you know she's not really like that... she's not evil or anything... maybe the opposite of evil... an angel maybe?... okay so that may be a stretch..._

"Hey, I know it's early but you said to stop by if I didn't have anything going on. Well it was either this or Club Banana, as you can see I'm here not there." _Oh great, make it sound like you had to pick the worse of two evils... come spend time with Bonnie, obviously doing homework, or spend time watching KP model... man, can't I get out of my own head once in a while... I am here to work on biology, and spend time with a new friend... at least I hope I can say we're friends..._

"I think you made a good choice." _What?... I'm confused... Bonnie actually wanted me to come here?... well, she did ask you to stop by if you didn't have anything else going on... what was the reason she gave?..._

"Oh, really. Coming and working on a biology project is a better choice than watching Monique and Kim model new Club Banana fashions?" _This has got to be good..._

"Well now that you put it that way... Yeah, definitely." I froze halfway through taking my shoe off, _she's just giving me a hard time... right?_. I turned my body to face her, _my back was still a little stiff_, but her face showed no sign of joking, _she seriously doesn't mind me being here?... and might actually want me to be here?..._

I finished getting out of my winter shell. I was down to my basic cargo pants and a long sleeved T-shirt, I didn't wear the jersey because it gets uncomfortable under the winter layers. "Would you care to enlighten me as to why you think being here is better than Club Banana? Not that I'm complaining about not being there, it's just you seem so confident that I'm better off here."

**Bonnie's POV**

_What did I get myself into?... let's just run over the facts real quick... he was going to be here in a couple hours to work on the report... then fluke chance, we **ran** into each other... he was complaining about being sore... I invited him over early because I can help with that... we went our separate ways... he's now here, early... why can't I just be mean to him and tell him that now isn't a good time?... because you wouldn't mean it... but I want to... no you don't or you would have done it already... but I didn't expect him to actually take my offer... I mean, I know what I was thinking but is that really such a good idea... I guess I did offer, and it'd be typical of me to lure him here with the promise of something to make the pain go away, only to say I wanted to get our homework done... fine, I'll go through with what I was thinking..._ "Well, I do believe I said I had something that might help your back. You were complaining that it was sore earlier when we bumped into each other, and I think I can help you out. I get sore muscles from just practicing all the time..." _come on it's not that hard_, "and I have some stuff that will help ease the pain." _See how hard was that?..._

"Bonnie, I don't know how to say this other than be straight forward about it, I'm not into drugs." _What?... he thinks I'm talking about drugs?... _ I guess my shock/rapidly rising anger was showing rather clearly on my face because before I had a chance to yell, scream, or kick him out of my house he said, "Oops, I guess that's not what you were talking about... haha, um, funny things, I thought you were offering me some of the stuff the jocks use after games to 'help ease the pain'. It's probably better if we work on the Flipper thing tomorrow, isn't it?" he was already backing towards the door looking over his shoulder to find his shoes and coat.

I was pissed, and I think I have a right to be, but he was so darn cute when he was scared, _did I just say he was cute again?... okay, so I did... are you happy now?... ... yes..._ "No need to run away from little harmless Bon-Bon. You did forgive me for accusing you of some pretty nasty things, so I guess I'll let this one slide Stoppable." I may think he looked cute, but I couldn't let him think he was off the hook completely, besides I was still boiling.

He stopped backpedaling and hesitantly asked, "I'm almost afraid to ask now, but bending and stretching to get my shoes and coat off didn't do good things for my back, what _were_ you going to offer to help?"

"Well you're going to have to bend and stretch a little bit more," _you're evil... well, it's the truth he will... unless he can take his shirt off with out bending and stretching..._ "You need to take off your shirt."

I swear his eyes got the size of Frisbees, "Y-you want me to t-take off my sh-shirt?"

It's not that I wanted to see him without his shirt, _okay so maybe part of me did_, "Well, typically creams work best when applied directly to skin. Not so much when applied to the cloth covering said skin."

"I can just put it on in the bathroom, I doubt you really want to rub my back."

"Okay, you can give it a try, but I've watched you since you got here, and the farthest you've turned anything in your back or neck is when you were trying to get away, and that was hurting." _It's not like he's wrong... I mean, me rubbing lotion into Stoppable's lean muscular back... how do you know?... you've never seen his back... I'd imagine it matches the rest of him... come on Bonnie, just because he's a nice guy trying to be your friend (at least I think he is) doesn't give you a right to drool... okay, so what about the fact that if he just cared about his appearance he'd be a babe magnet... BONNIE!... ...screw it, he's hot..._

He stood there contemplating for a minute, "I'm kind of self conscious about some things. I mean I really like the offer, and coming from you it's almost enough to make me pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming, but..." he trailed off. _What does he have to be self conscious about... I've seen what he's packing from a distance and was impressed..._

"Would it help if I promised that you'd feel 98 percent better?" _Now I'm asking to do this?... what is the world coming to?..._ "Like I said, I'm just trying to help. Besides, you won't be much help if you can't concentrate because of the pain."

A few more seconds of deep contemplation resulted in an... unusual request, "Okay, you're right, but don't let it go to your head, there's not enough room in here if your ego gets any bigger." _always trying to make a joke_, "I have a request, well two. One, what you see doesn't leave this house." _odd?..._ but I nodded, "And two, if you ask questions, I ask questions." _even odder?..._ and again I nodded in agreement.

With a reluctant sigh, he grabbed the bottom hem of his shirt and began to lift. My mind went back to the first time I saw this, three days ago when he first stopped by, _nice... not chiseled like a Greek god... but lean and toned..._ then I saw up close what I had saw that first day and couldn't tell what they were, _he's covered with scars... what, how, where?..._ my mind couldn't come up with the questions fast enough. Seeing my face he turned around, allowing me to see the affected area from, _what did cause that?... It looks like... I don't know what that looks like, besides painful..._"What happened? To your back I mean."

"I had a little run in with a certain plasma-fisted villain." _Shego did this?... I thought fighting her was Kim's job..._ Guessing what my next question was he said, "I had a lot on my mind and needed to vent, I didn't expect her to take my venting seriously and actually fight me. But when she did, I was kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. The fight was surprisingly short, I only landed a couple blows, and they weren't that hard, she landed one, and you can see the result of that. I managed to drop her by luck and restrain her before she had a chance to recover. I honestly think the reason I did end up on top boils down to 3 things: one, she underestimated me and wasn't expecting what I am capable of. Two, I was frustrated and ended up venting through my fists rather than just making comments. And three, I just snapped, I don't know how to explain it besides that. The rest as they say is history." After a second he laughed, "That's the first time today I've been able to come up with number 3." He was trying to lighten things up, I could tell he didn't like being serious if it involved him. But I was too concerned about him right then to laugh too.

"Why don't you lay down, I'll be right back with the tube." I took off towards my bathroom to get the analgesic, _Ron took on Shego and won... but he still caves to the likes of Brick and the other jocks... why?... there's not a one of them that would last 5 seconds against her... that boy needs to grow a spine and stick up for himself..._

I returned to find Ron laying face down on the floor with a blanket under him, to prevent carpet burn I'd guess. I knelt beside him, looking closer at the bruising, _ugh, and Kim does this on a regular occasion?..._ my respect, _not like_, of her just went up a few notches. "OOOH!" he shuddered, "That's cold."

"Sorry, it's supposed to start out cool then warm up as it works in, should have warned you. Trust me on this, okay?" He nodded and tried to relax, but everywhere it came into first contact with his skin he tensed, as well as every time I put too much pressure on a sensitive spot. I honestly felt sorry for him. After a little patience there was a little bit all over, so no more tensing from first contact. Now every time he tightens it'll be because of me, _I've got to distract his mind_.._. I've got a few questions I would like to ask_... "If you don't mind me asking, where'd all the scars come from?"

I felt his muscles tighten slightly at my words, _okay so maybe not the best line of questioning_, "Only if you don't mind trying to explain why you invited me over early to pamper me." I couldn't see his face but I could tell he was trying to lighten the mood, even if it was only for himself right now.

"Sure thing, Ronnie." I just couldn't resist, after calling me Bon-Bon I owed him, _though I think I could get used to it... I don't think he meant it derogatorily... more as a term of endearment I think..._

This got a small chuckle followed by a moan, "No more jokes laughing hurts." After taking a second to collect himself, "It depends on which one you point out, half of them are from missions. Taking on that many goons you're bound to get hit a few times, no one is perfect and I'm far from it. Plus there's exploding death rays, laser defense cannons, and my personal favorite, self destructive lairs."

I waited on him to continue, _he did say half of them were from that right?..._ "Ron?"

He lifted a hand as if to say 'just a sec'. I felt him take a deep breath, like he was getting ready to jump into a pool of ice, "The other half is because I'm a loser."

I was expecting, _and wanting_, more than that. "I'm no psychic so you might have to explain things to me. I know you may be at the bottom of the social food chain," _and I'm beginning to question why_, "but that doesn't explain the scars."

"Right there, under your right hand there's a knot. Would you be kind enough to get it?" I could tell he was delaying, but I'd give him time, this was apparently a touchy subject. Moving my hands to work out any hard spots I ran across he finally continued, "Some of them are from locker doors or the corner of a wall and a couple are the result of a class ring or two. Being at the bottom makes you prime pickings because no one cares or at least no one says anything. I guess it's helped me get used to taking a few hits on missions, so maybe its worth it."

_What!_ "No, it's not _worth it_! I may have been a bitch but some of these scars came from pretty nasty wounds and if half of them are from that..." _he gets beat because he's not 'cool'?... that makes no sense at all... and why doesn't he say or do anything... it's not like he couldn't, not after what he told me about what caused his back..._

"It _is_ worth it if no one gets hurt." _what is he talking about?... what do you call those?..._ almost in response to what I was thinking, "Imagine if I snapped at school, what would happen to those who were around." _yeah they'd be in a pile... where they belong if you ask me right now..._ "I can't bring myself to do that, I know I can take Flagg or any of the other jocks, heck I could probably take the football team, but I can't do it." The tone in his voice said the subject was closed for now, _so the reason he doesn't stick up for himself is because he doesn't want to hurt them?... he's got a bigger heart than anybody else I know..._

"I guess it's my turn," _Bonnie, why do you get yourself into messes like this?..._ "Well to be honest I'm not sure why I asked." I felt him starting to protest about my short non-answer and cut him short, "But... but, I'll give it a shot." I didn't have time to think my answers through, which means that I'm going to have to say things as they come to me: the truth without any Bonnie masking, "It's been a long time since anybody has treated me like you did, or rather do. I guess it's because I'm beginning to understand _why_ Kim keeps you around, you're a perfect gentleman, well with the exception of your table manners." I could feel him smile, "You treat me like a human being rather than a piece of meat, don't get me wrong people aren't typically mean to me straight up. They're either afraid of me and what I can do to them or they want something. None of the above describe how you treat me, if you have a beef with me you tell me, you don't seem afraid of me, and you obviously don't want anything from me. It's just, I don't know, refreshing? I think that is a good way to explain it." _You like Stoppable, don't you?... What!... No... I can't... why can't you?... is it because of the 'food-chain'?... if so you might as well give up now... fine... I might like Ron... but it doesn't matter because he's head over heals for Kim... as soon as she realizes what she already has... but she hasn't, has she?... but she will... right now she hasn't, and you know Ron isn't going to make a move on her, he doesn't want to end a life-long friendship... who says that they will end up together, maybe they are meant to be friends... Kim would hate me, more than she already does... probably accuse me of trying to take Ron away from her... and I don't want to do that... I just want a part of him for myself... she can keep her best friend..._

"I'll take that as a compliment." the comment brought me back to the here and now.

"You should, and don't be so hard on yourself. I may have been wrong about you. Anyways, how is your back feeling? Better?" A groan and a nod were the response, "Well then, guess what time it is?" he didn't answer again, just cocked his head a little to signal he was paying attention, "Time to find out what Flipper likes to eat."

I couldn't hold in a laugh when he groaned and said, "My back hurts all of a sudden, you can keep going."

"Nice try, but we really do need to get this done. I remember my partner saying that he'd put aside his study habits for this." I heard him grumble to himself as I helped him off the floor. He was moving better at least, still a little stiff but definitely better than he was.

A few hours and many pages of useless facts about dolphins later I heard, "I think I pulled a ligament in my brain." _he can make a joke out of just about anything... it's kind of cute... did I just sa-... yes I did... no more questioning yourself..._

"Food?" The look on his face made it clear it was like asking a fish if it wanted water. "Okay, how about pizza? You don't need to be cooking, my culinary arts are limited, and if you keep it up, I might have to keep you around." _I might anyways for other reasons..._

"Sure, so what's your poison? Meat lovers', pepperoni, Hawaiian, or what?"

"So many choices... personally I'm a fan of meat lovers' and Hawaiian, I can't stand plain cheese pizza and won't eat mushrooms. So, what about you?"

"Yes." and left it at that, as if it was a reasonable answer, I gave him a questioning look, "I like anything I've tried on pizza, with the exception of anchovies, and that's because, well gross."

"I'll get a large meat lovers', I think that'll be enough for the two of us. Unless that bottomless pit you call a stomach wants me to get more?" He just shook his head as I went to find a phone to order.

_**Ding, Dong**_

As I stood to get the door I heard a deep almost gurgling voice, "Ugh. You rang?." _He did not just quote Lurch... I guess he has no problem admitting his quirks..._ "Hey, I'll get it. I guess I should pay anyways for eating your food the last few days."

"No that's okay, you cooked me breakfast, I owe you a meal because the sandwiches don't count."

"I used your food to cook you breakfast and I ate your sandwiches, so that in my book means I owe you."

"Ron! Sit there, I'll be back in a second." I was a bit short with him, _apologize when I get back... why can't I hold my tongue... I need to break this habit of snapping for no apparent reason..._

I returned with the pizza to find him putting on his shoes, "I'm gonna go, you obviously don't want anybody to know I'm here. Not even the pizza guy who doesn't care anyways. We can work on this at school."

_What's he talking about?... oh no, he thinks I..._ "No, that's not it at all, I'm still trying not to bite when I talk to you. I don't mean to, but bad habits are hard to drop. And as for people knowing whether you're here or not, well I don't know how I feel about that. I mean, doesn't Kim know where you are, you did give up an afternoon with her to come by here? It's not like I'm hiding it, I just didn't want you to have to pay for the pizza. I leeched enough when you had money, remember?" _ come on, please stay... I want to talk to you..._

It was the second time in two days that my mouth had caused a misunderstanding between us, and again he was pissed, _and again probably with a good reason_, "It's a good thing I know you're trying to change or I would have already been gone. But can we cut back on the ice? It may not be intentional, but it still hurts." _I thought he was immune and just blew it off?..._

"I know, and again I'm sorry. So... are you going to stay or do I have to eat this _whole_ pizza by myself and turn into a pig?" _Maybe a little Ron-like humor will make him more accepting... I hope..._

"Someone has to save that figure of yours." _I do believe Ron is flirting with me... that dog... in a good way of course_, I smiled as he added, "Besides I think I could use another round of Bonnie magic on my back."

"Oh? And what makes you think that wasn't a one time offer?" _I definitely hadn't planned on the first time... but I think I could put my hands all over him again... and again, and ag... Bonnie, easy girl... _

The look on his face was adorable, the whole hurt/disappointed/begging with a little bit of 'you know you want to' mixed in. "Pweez."

"The dark side clouds everything. Impossible to see the future is. ." _Oh no... I did not just... Please don't let him hear that... please don't let him know where that's from, okay so that might be a stretch..._

All hope was lost when I saw his jaw drop and his eyes light up, "You're a geek," then suddenly added, "I mean that in a positive meaning of the word. I had no idea that you were a _Star Wars_ fan, I would never have guessed either. I mean you're a cheerleader, aren't they supposed to be anti-everything geekish?"

"We've all got our dark little secrets, and I think that this is one of those conversations that _never happened_, okay?" it's not like I expected him to tell everyone, I'm just used to having to cover my dirty little passions. _You mean your dirty little passions excluding Ron... I don't have dirty little passions for Ron... key word 'little'... okay, I need to stop this..._

"Well it's only a dirty secret if you make yourself think it is, I mean there's nothing wrong with liking science fiction. One question though, midnight openings, who or what are you?"

Before thinking about what he was asking, "Jedi master, long cloak with a hood to hide my face." Then covering my mouth in shock at what just passed through my lips, "You did not hear that!"

"Let me guess, you sneak out of the house, go alone, and walk because you don't want anybody to see your car and associate you with the movie?" He was laughing while he said this and it only got worse when I nodded. _He had that down to the 'T'..._

"Okay, before you get any more revelations. Let's eat." _I was hoping against hope that food would derail his current train of thought..._

**Ron's POV**

_It's a good thing I'm not out to hurt Bonnie's reputation... some of the things I've found out would 'ruin' her... why does she worry so much about being popular... people would like her like this... I know I do..._ My stomach decided that I was done thinking for the moment, "Lead the way, you have the box."

I followed her into the kitchen and my mind wandered back to what I was thinking watching her walk away earlier, _definitely can't complain about the view... get your mind out of the gutter, Ron... it's not in the gutter... yet..._

Have you ever had one of those moments that you don't know what happened or how what happened _did_ happen? This was one of those moments, I was admiring her legs, _and the upper portion of her legs... you know the part attached to the bottom of her back... and her curves... and her... okay I get the point_, when we got to the table she faced me. Knowing she could now see my stare, which was no longer staring at the back of her legs, I thought eye contact was my best bet for redemption, _or prevention of loosing a limb_. But it's a _long_ way from the legs to the eyes, and I think mine took their time on the way up, soaking up everything as they went. When I did make eye contact I expected to see at least some anger, I mean I did just look her up (quite literally). What I saw almost blew my mind, she had a look of satisfaction in her eyes.

And if that look almost blew my mind, what happened next completely scrambled it, "I hope you're not drooling at the thought of pizza." _Do what?... did she just?... yeah, I'm pretty sure Bonnie was just flirting with me..._ After that thought registered, my mind turned into a temporary mush.

"Yeah, the pizza." I said, clearly not able to think straight. My inability to respond in any way that made it seem I had control of what I said caused her to laugh and sit.

I managed to find a seat and watched as she ripped the top half off the box and put half the pizza on it and slid it to me, "Eat, you do remember how to do that don't you. Open mouth, insert food..."

There was no way I was going to let her get by with that, "Close mouth, refrain from talking and allow the cute blond to enjoy his pizza." Obviously my brain functions were returning.

Surprisingly it worked, she looked like she was going to say something, but instead dug into her half of the pizza.

The last bits of crust were making their last appearance when she finally spoke, "So, did you enjoy?"

"Duh, it's kind of hard not to enjoy a good meat lovers' pizza." I then found myself on the receiving end of a look that told me I was oblivious, _okay just run back through things... what could she be talking about... food; be quiet comment; brain was mush; drooling comment... _"Oh, that?" she nodded with a cheshire grin, "Well, I don't know how to answer. If I say yes you could get rightfully mad and kick me out, and if I say no then I'd be lying to you." I was pleased with my answer for a whole sum of maybe half a second, till I realized what I'd admitted to.

Before I had a chance to dig my grave any deeper, she asked, "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Let's see, tomorrow is Sunday... Let me check my schedule," I pulled out an imaginary planner, "I have a few openings here. What do you want, to work on the report?" _please no... my mind can't take anymore facts... it's going to explode without time to adjust to the information it's receiving..._

"Actually no," _What,_ "I was wondering if you'd be up for helping me with one of my dirty little secrets?" _Dirty little secrets!_ Reading my panic/overactive imagination starting to kick in she quickly added, "You are one of the _very_ few people who know about my addiction to science fiction, and I need a fix. I was thinking Episode II and maybe III if we got around to it... You know, just as two sci fi fans enjoying the same things."

Once my mind finally caught up with what she had actually asked, _she **wants** to spend time with you... not doing homework/studying... she just wants to spend time with you, Ron Stoppable..._ Trying not to appear overly excited about the idea, although I think it was too late, I smoothly said, "Well, I think I can pencil you in sometime between 10 in the morning, and maybe 8:30 or 9. I don't know if that's enough time for you, maybe we should reschedule."

"I think that will work. How about you show up around 11, we can have a light lunch, if you know what a light meal is, and spend the rest of the afternoon watching rotting our brains with movies and small talk. Then you can show me how good you are in the kitchen again."

"I think I can squeeze that in between waking up and going to sleep. Maybe, it'll be hard as tight as my schedule is right now." I was really enjoying our banter, but it was cut short when I stood to take my makeshift plate to the kitchen, "Ow! Pain!" I immediately sat back down.

"Here, let me get the trash, then I'll help you back to the living room." I started to protest about her babying me, but was cut off by, "Doctor Bonnie's orders, you need a second round of treatment." _Oh, really?... I like that idea..._

A few minutes later I swore I'd died and went to heaven, _oh sweet beautiful angels of mercy I feel good... okay so maybe it's not angels of mercy... it's just one... and she's good..._ "Bonnie?" I felt her hands pause in acknowledgment, "I'm not complaining about the massage, but what time is it?"

"8:30, why? Do you have a big date or something?" she said coyly, _seductive temptress... quit complaining about things you don't have a problem with..._

"Not tonight, but I have plans with a beautiful friend of mine tomorrow. And my back feels _a lot_ better, thanks." I felt her hands move away and felt her weight lift off of me (she had been straddling my legs while I laid on my stomach, to rub my back, nothing _too_ provocative).

"Well, I don't want to keep you then." she said helping me off the floor and into my shirt, dragging the cloth over my back still didn't feel the greatest.

"Yeah, well I guess this is good night."

"Yeah, I guess it is..."

I didn't have a clue how long we stood there, but I finally decided that I'd just go about it like I would with KP. I don't think she was quite expecting it, but she didn't complain about the one-armed hug I pulled her into. She returned it briefly before I opened the door to weather that could make Frosty shiver, "Good night, Bon-Bon." With that I took off into the cold night air, with the intent of sleeping alone and in my bed for the first time in three nights.


	5. Timing

A/N: Before things get misunderstood, Shego does not like Ron in this fic, she's just trying to get Kim to realize that she does, and Ron does not like Monique, that was just hormones temporarily messing with his mind.

Bonnie's closet scifi addiction is OOC, I should have said something last chapter, sorry, I think it adds a dimention to the "real Bonnie" that is fun and something she could never let people know about. Ron and her will trade a few quotes from the movies, they will be referenced to the bottom of the page using numbers, and the quote Bonnie slipped with in the last chapter was Yoda in Ep: II.

And just for anybody who is curious, the conversation between Ron and Kim at the end of the chapter is possible, and not a stretch as far as I'm concerned. I have a friend that I've had a similar conversation with that I've known since before I can actually remember.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible, if I did, I would be rich and my stories would be on TV rather than here.

* * *

**Kim's POV**

Looking at the clock on my bed stand for what seems like the millionth time in the last three hours, I began to wonder if there the Tweebs found some way to mess with time. It was only 9:30 in the morning, but not having a good night sleep, _not nightmares, just couldn't stop thinking_, I finally gave up trying to find unconsciousness. _Was she right?... or rather, were they right?... _I couldn't get two conversations I'd had in the last two day out of my head, one was with my SBF and the other was with my archenemy, _how weird is that_.

**_Flashback- Two days ago_**

"I don't know what you did to the buffoon, but you'd better get a hold of him before someone else does. Not many people can say they fought with me and walked away, and I can only think of two people, counting him, that have ever beat me." I was shocked to begin with because Shego was laying there, tied up and unable to fight, and was dishing out relationship advice,_ not that I was completely disagreeing at that point... but it's Ron, my best friend..._

Realizing Ron was still in earshot I waited to respond to the... unusual, suggestion coming from Shego. I went with a simple but effective word, "Spill."

"You really can't be _that_ dense can you? Read my lips princess: you, him, together, ASAP. It's really not all that difficult to understand."

"Okay, let's say I had my mind turned to mush by one of your employer's inventions." _She knows something that I don't... or saw something I missed..._

"Wow, you really can do anything. Including be oblivious to the fact that Ron has a serious thing for you, and you have a serious thing for him. He's a coward, well I thought so till today anyways, and you are in denial, but you two could really work out." _so Shego is a shrink... giving me, the person who normally gets her thrown in jail, relationship advice... and she's not calling him 'the buffoon'... _"Of course if you don't want him, I could take him off your hands. I mean it's not everyday I find someone with those kinds of moves, if you know what I mean." _what is she tal... OH! Those kinds of moves... Shego you dirty minded..._

"Yuck, no." I spat the words out like I thought the idea was disgusting, _but she's got a point... Kim, no you can not join her... no fantasizing about Ron..._

"Seriously though, how many guys do you know would climb a mountain for you, literally. Would whoever your current boy toy is do that for you?" _thanks for reminding me... _Shego may be a villain, but she's known me long enough to know when something has got under my skin, "I see, you don't have a current boyfriend? Well, that makes it easier; you don't have to break up with anybody to get Ron. I don't see a problem, do you?"

I glared at her but responded, "Well let's see, there's the fact that Ron is my best friend and has been since Pre-K. I don't want to chance screwing that up because I'm on the rebound," _oops, I just let her know I am recently single..._ the look on her face let me know she heard but didn't make any snide remarks, _yet_, "And then, there's the whole he probably doesn't feel the same way problem. If he liked me why hasn't he said anything, or why hasn't anybody else pointed it out?"

"This is like explaining rocket science to 11 year olds."

"The Tweebs are were 10 when they got into rocket science." I threw in.

"Okay so like explaining rockets science to _normal_ 11 year olds." she had me there, "Think about every mission, who was always there to push the big red button, or distract the guards while you fought me, or trip at the right time to shatter the Doctor's dreams. Do you really think he did it for himself or the fame? I doubt he even cares about that, he's there for you. Okay, do you understand me? He likes you, that much I know. I might even go as far as to say he loves you, but I can't say that for sure. Talk to his friends, people he might confide in besides you, see what they say" My mind went into overload with what the dark-haired woman just spilled.

Not knowing what else to do I grabbed her arm and helped her off the ground, "Let's go, GJ will be here shortly."

"Touch a nerve?" I couldn't even come up with a reasonable response, so I pointed towards the exit, "And you do know I'm serious, if he's single next time I'm out, I'm definitely taking a run at him, well after I make sure he understands that what happened to day was a one time deal."

"Stay away from him!" I don't know why I snapped like that, but the look on her face was more satisfaction than anger for getting yelled at.

**_End Flashback_**

_What am I doing even considering taking relationship advice from Shego?... it's not like she has a boyfriend... of course that could be because of her options: Junior, Henchmen, or Drakken... each progressively worse than the others... she did say to ask other people... that sounded like good advise at the time... but after that conversation, my brain felt like it was wading through nacho cheese..._

_**Flashback- Yesterday**_

I saw Monique reaching for her phone to call in the back-up male opinion and grabbed her arm, "We need a girls' day." _more like I need answers..._

I saw a concerned look flash across her face briefly before she caught on and put her phone back in her purse, "What's up Kim? Are you still bummed about Josh?"

"No, not really. I was, and I cried, then I went on a mission, had a weird conversation with Shego, Ron comforted me after mission, we fell asleep together on my couch, misunderstanding with Mom," _now that I think about it... she knows something or she would have reacted differently..._ "and now I'm here and my best friend is ditching me to go to one of the people I like the leasts' house." I finish summarizing the last day and a half and waited on Monique to look into her crystal ball and give me the answers.

Unfortunately she didn't see things the way I did, "So, things should be cool. I mean, no more worries about Josh and the mission was a success." After I didn't say anything I heard my line, "Sooo, what's the stitch?"

"There's no stitch, per se." I tried to lie, but the look in her dark eyes let me know I wasn't going to get away with it, "Okay, I want, no I _need_ you to be honest with me when you answer this question." she raised an eyebrow but nodded, "How long have you known?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, how long have I known what?" She answered way to fast and it sounded rehearsed.

"Mon, don't play with me. How long?"

Putting on her best confused face she could she shrugged, "I still don't know what we're talking about." _Fine time to pull out the big guns... _"No, Kim. That's totally unfair." she put her hand up to act as a blinder towards me as we made our way through the mall. "Are you done."

"Yeah, I quit. You looked away before it could take effect, I missed my opportunity." I wasn't lying, I can't talk and do it at the same time, so technically I _did_ quit.

"You lied." But I wasn't about to budge, she has something I want, _information_, "Fine, but be specific, I'm not just going to hand things to you."

I almost jumped with joy, _almost_, "Okay. How long have you known that Ron and I were meant for each other?" _that was specific... well, specific enough..._

"I don't _know_ that you and Ron are meant for each other." The silence that followed made me realize that this was going to be harder than I thought.

"Fine. In your _personal opinion_, how long have you _guessed_ that Ron and me clicked? And please be honest." _is that better?..._

"Safe honest or you might throw things honest?"

"Quit delaying and I promise I won't throw anything, hard."

"Okay, so safe honest it is." I just gave her a look that spoke for me to quit delaying the inevitable, "A while," she tried to get by with vague but again made eye contact and continued quietly, "since I met you."

"WHAT!" a few people started staring as we made our way through the mall, "And you didn't say anything before now? Why didn't you tell me?"

"We thought it was best if you figured it out on your own." _I guess that makes sense... but wait she said..._

"We? Who is 'We'?"

The blood drained from her face, "No, not we... me... I thought it was best if you figured it out on your own."

"Monique, don't make me do it again."

At the threat of another PDP she hung her head, "Well, I've only talked to two people about it, but there are others who have to know." a small nudge from my elbow encouraged her to continue, "Felix knows, I don't know if he figured it out or whether Ron told him. And... and your mom knows."

It took a few seconds for what she'd just said to register, "My mom knows? But, how? I just figured it out. Shouldn't I know how I feel before other people?" Then another one of her slips were realized, "And why would Ron have told him, unless... Monique, does Ron like me?" She looked around, and from what I was picking up, trying to find the closest exit, "Won't work, I'm faster and more agile than you."

Looking at me like a deer caught in headlights, "I don't know." I wasn't buying it and she could tell, "I'm serious, I don't know for sure. If I were him I think I would, okay so that came out way wrong. But I think he does, and yes I know I said no free information, but I need to talk, so just sit here and be quiet for a minute." She was pointing to a table in the corner of the food court, away from a lot of people. "Okay, I'm here as your BGF, but remember I'm Ron's friend too, so there are things that I can't tell you, no matter how much I want to, you have to accept that. I really think that Ron likes you, but he's afraid of ruining your friendship, he would rather die than do that. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't be able to say yes fast enough if you asked him to take your friendship to another level, but with you being on the rebound he might be leery and say no right now. I would wait a while before you say anything, or just wait on him. He seems to be growing a backbone lately, especially if that thing with Shego happened the way you said it did, and he might do something. This is assuming I'm right and he does feel that way towards you. There is the possibility that he cares for you as a best friend or a little sister that he just wants to protect, but that doesn't explain why he got down every time you start dating some new 'pretty boy'."

She sat there giving me time to absorb what she'd just laid out, I knew that was all I was going to get and knew better than to ask any more questions, "So let me get this straight: you think Ron likes me... you know and _knew_ for a while I liked Ron, even before I did...my _mom_ knew or knows I like Ron before I did... I now know I like Ron... and you're telling me to wait?..."

"Yeah, basically. Now lets go shop, it'll help your brain keep from exploding on me."

**_End Flashback_**

The nacho cheese my mind was wading through was starting to cool, and therefore getting thicker and harder to get through. _Only one option... tell him... when?... today, I'm going to tell him today..._

With determination I looked at the clock again, _well at least he should be up by now_, noticing it was just after 10. I grabbed my direct link to Ron off my dresser, not even trying my cell phone, and pressed a few buttons that allowed me to connect to the identical device a few blocks away without interrupting our young computer friend. _Come on Ron... please answer..._

"Hey Wade, oops I mean KP. What are you calling for, is there a mission?" He sounded almost disappointed at the thought,_ well duh, he's still sore from that massive hit he took... that would have left me walking funny for a couple days..._

"No, there's not a mission, unless hanging out with your best friend suddenly became mission worthy. In which case, your mission is to relax and enjoy the day with a friend." _there's no way he will turn down an offer like that..._

"I already accepted a mission like that," _see he has no probl... wait, he's not talking about me is he?_, "I'm spending the day watching movies with a friend."

"So your going to bail on me again? I really need to talk to you about something important." I tried the guilt card, but to no avail.

"Hey, it's Sunday. Tonight is family night at your place, your mom is cooking, and I haven't missed that since... well since you missed it last year to stop Duff." _He's got a point, he never misses your mom's cooking... and he never has missed family night in all these years... see, more proof that he cares for you and is **always** there for you... and now that I think about it, Mom seems to glow a little when he's over... I still can't believe she knew and didn't tell me..._

"Fine, but what if a mission comes up?" knowing full and well there wouldn't be one, there had become an unspoken agreement between us, _us meaning Ron and me... I like 'us'_, and the regular villains that there needed to be one day of the week that was left untouched. The thing with Duff was a rare memory lapse, that Ron and I informed him on no uncertain terms would _never_ happen again, "How am I supposed to find you?" I knew my argument was weak, but I tried anyways.

"KP, how are you talking to me now? And who is the only other person that can contact me here? I think we're covered with the whole communication issue." _well part of it... I still need to 'communicate' some things to you... like the fact I want to know you as more than just friends..._

"Fine, but you better be here for supper," giving him a mock stern voice, "because if you're not, I'm going to find you, pick you up, and carry you here. I don't care what you are doing when I find you."

He replied in a reciprocal manner of mock fear, "Yes ma'am. Orders heard loud and clear. Me, you, Mom's cooking, be there... got it." I couldn't help but laugh at his antics, _why did it take me so long to realize this?... I guess you sometimes miss what's right in front of you..._

"Okay, well have fun watching movies."

"Will do, later KP."

"By the way, who..." my voice trailed off noticing the link was already severed. _Think of it this way... you have all day to prepare... and interrogate Mom... and have a few panic attacks... and prepare some more..._

**Ron's POV**

_I think my brain is going into do a cheap imitation of one of Dr D's lairs... I know what that tone KP had means... she's got crushing on some guy... only this time, oh man... why now, why not a week ago... or even better, why not when she first decided to take interest in guys... then again, why not now... it's not like anything is happening between Bonnie and me... is there?... I mean, we are just going to watch movies together that she's ashamed of... just two friends who enjoy the same thing right?... then explain her staring at you when you took off your shirt... easy, the scars... nice try, you know her eyes were taking in everything... and, why didn't she yell when she **had** to of seen you checking her out?... if anything she looked like she was glad you were looking her up... but, she wouldn't want anything to do with me... I'm a loser at the bottom of the food chain... does that matter to Bonnie?... of course it matters, if she was seen being sociable with me she'd be 'ruined'... are you sure, or is that how her mask would act?... are you sure **Bonnie**, not the Queen B, cares?... this is just too confusing... I am just going to go enjoy my day watching movies... no more thinking right now..._

With that, I took a deep breath and pulled myself out of the grasp of my bed, _I think it missed me... and I was still a little bit sore... not bad, but a little,_ and found some clothes to shield myself from the elements. I never realized how close Bonnie actually lived to me until the other day. I mean I knew where she lived, I'd just never had any reason to make the trip and was surprised when it was just barely farther away than my second home. _Funny how you pick up on little things at the oddest times_.

_**Knock, Knock, Knock**_

_Oh yeah... I forgot..._

_**Ding, Dong**_

"Coming!" _I'm going to have to get used to that... well, I mean if I come over very often that is... which why would I do that?... Ron, you said no more thinking... okay, I'll quit... _"Greetings, young Jedi. What brings you to our remote sanctuary(1)? " In arguing with myself I missed the door opening.

I laughed as she shut the door behind me, "You really are a geek." _an incredibly hot geek... I almost couldn't place the quote..._

"Oh really? I'm a geek?" she was giving me this glare trying to look hurt and angry, but her eyes, _those amazing eyes_, were telling me she wasn't either. Then she added coyly, "Is that a good thing?"

I don't think any of the sounds coming out of my mouth made any sense, but I was _trying_ to say, "Yeah, it's a good thing." somewhere in between my brain and my mouth there was a miscommunication.

I managed to get out of my shoes, but I was having trouble moving enough to get the coat off, "Here, before you hurt yourself, or break anything, let me help." I heard the comment, but unlike normal there wasn't any snideness to it, it was just a friendly jab at my clumsiness.

"I'm fine Bonnie, really." I lied but I don't like to seem needy, weak I can deal with, but not needy.

She then touched my back, lightly and only with one finger, but enough to get a response out of me, "I think my case has been made for me, now hold still and I'll be gentle." There was a soothing, almost melodic, sound in her tone. Reluctantly, I allowed her to finish taking off my coat. "See, how hard was that?"

I grumbled a bit, but held my tongue and decided to change the subject, "Weren't you going to show me this strange thing called a _light lunch_?"

"Follow me." I didn't need to be told twice. Following her to the kitchen was... enchanting, and if I didn't know better she had a little more swing in her hips than yesterday. I saw her start to look over her shoulder to make sure I was following so I looked up as fast as I could, but let's be honest, I'm not the least obvious person alive and I think she saw me. _No, if she saw you she would have beat you... to a pulp... or at least told me to stop staring... she didn't yesterday... actually she was flirting with me yesterday... I guess I could complement her... nothing crude, but just test the waters... see how she takes it..._

"I'm enjoying the view." I held my breath as soon as the words were out, hoping against hope that she didn't secretly have the ability to create plasma flames with her hands.

"Ron Stoppable," _crap, I'm in trouble now..._ "I never knew you had it in you." _do what?..._ "At least I know you're a part of the male gender," _is that a complement?..._ I wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, but fortunately I didn't have to, "I really don't mind if you look, it's a small confidence boost, it's when guys want to go farther than looking that I get mad. And is probably where the 'her last name isn't Rockwaller for nothing' joke came around. Am I right?"

"I've heard that, but my mind was _not_ in the gutter." The look she gave me while making the subs let me know she didn't buy it, "Well not _completely_ in the gutter, I was looking and definitely enjoying the view and... okay I think I need to just shut up now." _Crap! now she's going to think I'm some kind of sick pervert..._

**Bonnie's POV**

_That answers my question... he's definitely interested... but am I interested?... I should really think about stuff like this **before** I flirt... okay Bonnie, you started this mess... or did I?... it doesn't matter, you were part of if... why did I flirt with Ron?... I'm not even calling him 'Stoppable' in my head anymore... focus... okay, so he's a dish and a perfect gentleman interested in you for more than getting in your pants, and who has no standing what-so-ever on the food chain... does that matter?... of course it does... n't matter... then why don't you quit beating around the bush and just tell him?... because it doesn't matter right now... but what about tomorrow at school?... am I going to feel the same way or am I going to go back to being the Bonnie everybody knows and hates... I've never been treated this good before, and I don't want it to go away... no, I want to change, I don't want to be Bonnie the Bitch anymore... besides I think I'm growing on him... but, what about Kim... she hasn't made a move by now, she's not going to... she's had since Pre-K to claim him... I've only really known him for around 4 days and I already want to... but what about him, would he give you a chance?... or does he want to be with her?... if it was anybody else I wouldn't have to ask that... but this is Ron, he's not your typical guy... or at least not the typical guy I've been around..._

"Bonnie? Hey, Bon-Bon. Is anybody home?" he was waving his hands in front of my face, pulling me out of my trance. "Are you going to stand there with the knife in your hand or are you going to eat?"

I looked down at the cabinet I was making the sandwiches on, and they were done, _I must have finished them while I was spaced out... then just stood here... now he's going to think I'm a freak..._ "Patience, my blue friend(2)."

"I know I'm not _that_ ugly." I saw his head drop as I brought the food to the table, but could see his face enough to tell he was acting.

"Well, okay. But close." holding my fingers just barely apart.

His goofy, _yet cute_, grin showed back up, "I'm going to take that as a complement."

"You better get used to getting complements." _ Did I just say that out loud?... I think I did... I guess I mean it too... _

I think that caught him off guard, because he quickly changed the subject, again, "So, where do you hide your secret stash of movies. I'm assuming they're not out in the open, 'cause it would be horrible if, say, Tara found them." I just cast a glance his direction saying _don't even joke about it_, "Not that I'd tell anybody, I was just curious. Why do you assume that I'm out to get you? I'm shocked that you are even spending time with me, willingly. I mean aren't you the most popular girl is school, and can't you have anybody you want over? Why did you ask me?"

_Wow, he's really deep... and really dense... _"Don't ask questions, just enjoy yourself and the movie. Okay?" _but he's got a point, why **did** you ask him over... I could have asked Tara or any of the cheerleaders for that matter... except Kim, but that's given... and I wouldn't be able to watch these movies... he won't judge me because of it... ...is that the **only** reason?... no, but how can I tell him that..._ My mind continued to run in those circles for the next 2 hours and 22 minutes, only to be stopped by the orchestrated music accompanying the credits.

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, I'm not going to be able to cook for you tonight, I forgot it was Sunday when we made plans."

"What does Sunday have anything to do with how well you can cook? Is there some curse that you are an amazing cook except on Sundays?"

"No, at least I hope not. I have preexisting plans on Sunday evenings, Mrs. Dr. P cooks for family night, and I'm part of the family as far as they are concerned. I'm sorry I forgot, I could call and see if they'd put out an extra setting?" _He is part of the Possible 'family'?... you knew that he was tight with them... it's part of the package... you know the saying, 'don't look a gift horse in the mouth'... but this is different, this is KIM... you don't have to get along with her... just tolerate her... if I do anything, that is... _"Bonnie? Hey, do you want me to call and make sure they save room?"

"No, it'd be awkward. Kim and I don't always see eye to eye." I was trying to be as subtle as I could, but that could almost qualify as _understatement_ _of_ _the_ _year_.

"That's cool," the look in his eye made it clear that he understood, but would like me to come anyways, "but you're not going to be mad at me bailing?" _Why would I be mad?... it's not like I have any reason to be mad... we're just two friends watching movies together..._

"No, I won't be mad. But I was really looking forward to some of that kitchen magic I saw you work the other morning." I was on the verge of pouting, biting my bottom lip, and looking up just enough to make eye contact. _His eyes are... wow... I can't even think of a good word here... I feel like I could just curl up and go to sleep in those deep, warm orbs..._

"I can cook for you anytime, well except Sundays or when there's a mission or sometimes there's Naco Night and well you get the idea, just give me a call and I'm at your service." he gave a light bow while still sitting.

I giggled, _I don't giggle... it's so little girlish... but it felt right... I can do stuff like this with him because he won't judge me... _"Okay, I think I can deal with that. Speaking of magic, how is your back doing?"

It'd been two days, but that bruise was big and though he didn't show it much today, I'm sure it still had to hurt, "Doing better than it was, but still not up to par. Are you offering?" His eyes seemed to sparkle at the idea, _now how can I say no to that?... I'll tell you how... you can't..._

"Take off your shirt and lay down." I said in an overly exasperated tone. He threw the blanket on the couch to the floor, _that's the one he used when he slept here... and the one I curled up with when he was gone... it smelled so good... _ He seemed to be trying to find the best way to get his shirt off without roughly dragging it across the sensitive skin on his back. I walked up to him, "Lift your arms." he gave me a questioning look, "Don't worry I'm not going to bite, now lift your arms and turn around." Complying with my request, I grabbed the bottom of his shirt and began to ease it up, _needless to say I was enjoying the view as he was revealed_, once I got it over the affected area he took control back and finished pulling it over his head.

Straddling him I grabbed the cream from the coffee table, _I forgot to put it up... turned out to be a good thing..._, and put a few globs on his back. He shuddered under the cool contact, but didn't complain this time; and he didn't flinch as much while I was rubbing it in. It was weird but nice, neither of us had said a word since I helped him undress, he didn't make any jokes and I didn't make any comments about not getting any ideas. We were both wrapped up in our own little worlds to care about putting up our guards, _wow, I just realized why he is always joking... he's hiding himself... just like me, what you see isn't always what you get..._

"Ron?" He turned his head so he could see me, _come on Bonnie, you can do this... screw the food chain... give him a chance to prove the food chain wrong..._ "What are you doing tomorrow, you know after school and practice?" Continuing with his silence he shrugged, _come on... your not scared of anyone Bonnie..._ "Well, can I call in that meal? Just you and me, my folks called and they're going to be out of town an extra day."

_Please say yes... don't turn me down... please..._ Breaking his silence, his voice caused me to shudder, it wasn't the normal happy-go-lucky Ron voice. This time he was in control, very cautious, every word clearly spoken, not deep but the words were... solid, "Are you asking me out?"

_What!..._ then after the initial shock wore off, _well, am I?... it's not like I'm opposed to the idea... I just don't want to screw things up..._ "I- I..." I felt him collapse like someone put a knife in a tire, _no don't do that... I'm trying to prevent you from feeling like that..._ "I guess I am. I guess that what I'm asking is if you want to spend an evening, as more than just friends, getting to know each other."

I never knew the meaning of time standing still until that point. It couldn't have been more than a few seconds for him to register what I'd just asked but my mind was racing arguing with itself whether what I'd just done was a good idea. So much happened in my head in that instant that it felt like a small eternity passed before I heard, "So let me get this straight, you have me pinned to the ground, _you_ asked _me_ out, and you want _me_ to cook for _you_? Is that about right?" My eyes got big and I was about to speak when a grin spread across his face, "Yes I'd be honored to spend the evening with you Ms. Rockwaller."

"It's a date." I popped back. Then without thinking, "You know, you're probably the last person I ever expected I'd ask out." then the instant my brain caught up with my mouth, "That came out wrong, it's just, if someone would have told me a week ago that I'd be asking Ron Stoppable out, I would have laughed and then made their life miserable. Now, I don't know, it feels right."

"I know what you mean, I'm in the same boat. If someone would have told me that Bonnie Rockwaller was going to ask me out, I would probably have died laughing. Or in panic, whichever came first." I poked him in the ribs, where he wasn't bruised, to let him know I wasn't appreciative of his humor. "All we have to do now is convince people that we're not under mind control and that I'm not blackmailing you." I froze, _people will know... school people will know... school people will know that I'm going out with Ron..._ The sudden stop in movement caused Ron to look back, "What's wrong Bon-Bon?"

"Nothing, nothing at all." I was trying to convince him as much as myself. "Ron?" _he's going to hate me... heck, **I'm** going to hate me..._ "Can I ask you a favor? If you don't want to it's fine, I mean I would completely und..." he put his hand on my knee to calm me down.

"What is it Bon-Bon? I'll do what I can." _he's going to hate me... I don't want him to hate me... but I want this to work... and I think this will make things easier in the long run... but he's going to hate me **now**, which means there won't be a long run... but he'll understand... it's Ron, he's got to understand..._

Trying not to go into a full out panic or break down crying at the thought of him dumping me a few minutes into our relationship I managed to get off of him and sit back on the couch. He got up and sat beside me with his arms around me, trying to calm me down so I could talk. "Ron? I know this is going to sound awful, and maybe it is, but I think it'll be better." I buried my head in his chest as he ran his fingers through my hair, no one had ever done that before, and it was working to calm me down. "Before you yell and run away, please let me explain."

"Explain what? You're not making any sense, I'm not running away. Calm down and take it from the top." he was still holding me, almost as if he was trying to protect me from something.

"Can we not tell people about us yet?" I felt his hands stop, _no, please don't_, "This has nothing to do with the food chain or anything else like that. I just want to make sure that it's right." He had sat up and only had one hand on my back by now.

"What? So you want to date me, but keep it a secret? Oh no, Heaven forbid someone find out that Bonnie is dating a loser." _no, that's not what I meant... please listen..._ but I couldn't get my throat to produce any sounds. "I thought you had changed, maybe I was wrong."

He started to stand up, but I grabbed his arm and pulled him back down, I used every piece of willpower I had to look him in the eyes and speak, "Please listen for 30 seconds, that is not why I said that. I am glad that you're giving me a chance after all the crappy stuff I've done to you, I am truly happy for the first time in... I don't know how long. I just want to make sure that we aren't jumping into this too fast, and if we tell people... can you imagine some of the responses we are going to get?" We both shuddered at the thoughts going through our minds, "I don't want to have to deal with that right now, I want to deal with _us_, make sure that we are going to make it." As soon as the last word was out of my mouth I felt drained, I had poured everything I had into those words.

My eyes closed and I started to lean back into the couch, when I felt his arm wrap itself back around me and pull me in closer to him again, "Easy now, it's okay," he was whispering into my hair as my head tucked into the middle of his chest, "It's okay, I promise. I just am so excited I want to tell everyone that I have a badical girlfriend, at least I hope she's my girlfriend, and being told that I have to keep it a secret, well it kinda sucks. But, I can see where you're coming from, and now that I think about it, I can just imagine trying to do this while trying to explain things to Kim. It's okay now, you're going to be okay, I'm here." I didn't realize it till he was done talking that I had calmed down and was almost composed.

"So, you're okay with this?" I felt his head nod, "I guess that makes me the luckiest girlfriend in the whole world." trying to bring the mood back from the pit I'd just thrown it in.

"So, does that mean...?" he asked me hesitantly. I pulled away from him a little, enough to see his face but not far enough that he felt the need to let go, and kissed him on the cheek. His face went through a series of expressions, shock started followed by a goofy grin that changed into a gentle, yet very pleased, smile when he said, "Boo-yah." quietly.

**Ron's POV**

I was overwhelmed with emotions, I was excited, angry, happy, nervous, and after that little peck on the cheek I added pure bliss to the list. There was something I wanted to do right then, but I was afraid, _come on grow a spine... you stumbled into this... now it's time to stand up and do things right... it's 'do or die' time..._ I had been staring into her endless blue eyes, but I let mine wander down a few inches. They found their target, she seemed to know what I was thinking, because she nodded slightly as she tilted her head up. I leaned in wanting to taste her, the hand that had been stroking her hair changed roles and started to guide her towards me, and she offered no resistance. We were so close I could feel her ragged breath on my lips, I hesitated with a shudder knowing that I was mere inches from kissing someone who had, over the course of a few days, went from being one person whose company I would have preferred only over the likes of Dr. Drakken, to being my friend, and now my girlfriend.

My mind exploded, turned to mush, and suddenly became clear all at once. Our lips were touching, ever so lightly, neither of us wanting to ruin the moment by rushing it, when we let go and melted into each other. There was no power struggle, no fight for dominance, it was a mutual meeting of passion. We pulled apart long enough to look in each others eyes again, we both saw the same thing, the desire to go back. I began the short journey back to Heaven, but was stopped short by a familiar sound...

_**Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep**_

"I think that calls for a boo-yah." I pulled back from the beautiful woman in my arms, to see her smile, "Don't you thinks so Ronnie?"

"Boo-yah," I whispered back. Then grabbing the cursed device out of my pocket I pushed the button to answer.

"Hey Ron!" came the cheery voice, "Um, did you loose your shirt somewhere?"

_How could I forget something like that?..._ "Yeah, I was just laying down for a while. Sorry about that." I hadn't lied to her, I had been laying down, and had taken off my shirt when I did. "So, what's happening?"

"I was just wondering when you were coming over, it's 5:30 now and you know Mom always has supper ready by 6 or 6:30 at the latest." _Wow, where'd the time go... I guess it really does fly when you're having fun..._

"Yeah, I'll be over shortly. See you in a bit."

She started to glow, "Okay, can't wait." The screen went dark as I dropped it back in my pocket.

"I heard," as I was opening my mouth to explain, "Go on, you don't want to keep them waiting." she obviously wasn't pleased with the idea.

"Bonnie, I know you don't like her, but I am part of their family. Maybe not by blood, but I would like it if you could understand that. I'm not asking you to like it, because that would be unfair of me to ask, I just want understanding, okay?"

"I understand, and I'm not upset about you being part of their family, or that you're going to leave me here wanting another kiss, okay so maybe that, but what I'm really worried about is Kim. I know her, even if I don't like her much, I know her and I know that tone in her voice. I just don't want to loose something to her." Now, I know I'm not the brightest bulb, but I was completely lost. Fortunately Bonnie could tell and with a smile said, "She's crushing on this really hot and incredibly sweet blond who has the deepest brown eyes, and is an amazing kisser," my brain finally figured out what was going on, "and I just want some reassurance that I don't have anything to worry about."

I plastered my goofiest grin I could manage and said, "I think that can be arranged."

After a bunch of small kisses and a few long ones she poked me in the ribs and said, "You better get dressed and get out of here before she decides to come looking for you."

"Do I got to?" I whined.

She just smiled and said, "Unless you want to explain to her, why you're sitting on my couch with your arms around me, _without_ a shirt on." That got me moving, I grabbed my shirt and started to pull it over my head when she took it out of my hands, and without saying anything told me she was going to help me, _guess I can't complain... nope, not at all..._

"I guess I should be going." I was standing at the door, ready to go, _physically at least_.

"Yeah, I guess so."

After a quick hug, I said, "If you'll excuse me Master(3)." and jumped through the door. I heard her laugh as the door shut the cold evening air out.

**Kim's POV**

_Okay, I can do this... it's Ron, we can tell each other anything... we've told each other everything since forever ago... well, unless Monique is right, then he hasn't told me one thing... maybe he was waiting on me... I've been too wrapped up in other 'pretty guys' to notice the great guy that's been right in front of me... well that all changes tonight... I'm going to ask Ron out... it's only natural that after all these years we see if there is something there... right?... no Kim, no questioning yourself... doubts are bad..._

_**Knock**_.

"Hey, Possible clan." _ He's here... okay calm down... be cool... it's not like you're going against Shego... although I think that might be easier..._

Making my way to the door, I gave my best friend a hug, "Hey Ron." I realized right then that I always give Ron a hug when we see each other, maybe it's my subconscious telling me all these years what I didn't know.

"Hey KP. How is my best friend?"

_Hoping to change that title a little bit... but other than that, _"Just wonderful. I'm so excited to see you, Ron."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world. Mrs. Dr. P is a master both in the hospital and in the kitchen. Besides, when else do we have a day off to relax that we don't have to worry about villains _and_ there's no school, practice or anything else we have to do." _I'm going to really be enjoying Sunday's from now on a little more..._

"Just the two of us," _oops better cover,_ "and the Tweebs, along with Mom and Dad. How much better can things get?" _I can think of one way..._

"Things are just perfect."

"Kim! Ron! Jim! Tim!" Mom announced the meal, _she even calls Ron to the table... I'm going to have to ask her tonight how long ago she figured it out..._

"KP? Are you coming, you look like you disappeared into your own little world for a second." Ron cast me a concerned glance, _he's always worried that you're okay... why am I so blind?..._

"Yeah, I'm coming. I was just lost in thought for a minute." As I followed the blond to the table.

Supper was basically uninteresting, well besides when the Tweebs came down and Rufus about tackled Ron and started scolding him in mole talk. Ron seemed to be apologetic and I think he offered to buy him a wheel of swiss for leaving him in the hands of 'mad scientists' for so long.

After supper and a few games, the Tweebs were sent off to bed. I knew it was do or die time, with tomorrow being a school day and my folks knowing the chances of a mission happening tonight were slim, they'd send Ron home soon and me to bed.

"Ron? Can we talk?" I tried to sound as nonchalant as possible, but it's kind of hard when you're shaking like a leaf. _Remember Kim, anything is possible for a Possible..._

"Sure thing KP."

"In private?"

"Okay? Are you okay? You look a little pale."

I didn't trust my voice not to fail me right then, so I didn't answer until we got to my room. "Ron, sit down, we need to talk."

"KP? You're starting to worry me, are you..." I held up my hand and put a finger on his lips to get him to stop, I just needed a second to collect myself.

He got the picture and sat down next to me, putting his hand between my shoulder blades. "Ron," _taking on Shego would DEFINITELY be easier_, "I realized something the other day, but summed it up to something else. Well, I've had time to think about it, and I was wrong, or right depending on how you look at it. I was wrong in second guessing my feelings, but that makes what I'm feeling exactly what I thought it was to begin with." I had been getting faster as I went. The last part, mixed with my shaky voice, was next to unintelligible.

"KP, calm down. I can barely understand you and what you're saying doesn't make sense. It's gonna be okay, there's nothing to worry about, I'm here and you can tell me anything." _see, this is why he's so amazing..._

I took a few deep breaths, _you can do this... you've told each other everything since forever ago... _"Okay. But I need you to promise not to freak out,"

He nodded as he said, "I didn't freak out when you were disappearing or any other time, so I doubt you can make me now."

"You're always there for me, aren't you?" he just pulled me into a half hug letting me know he cared, "I want to be there for you, Ron. Just like you've been there for me."

"KP, you're always there for me. What's this about?"

_Okay, subtle isn't working..._ "Ron, I like you. I like you a lot, actually. It's just taken me a while to realize it." his hand had froze in the middle of rub, _I hope that's a good thing_, "And, I was hoping you felt the same way."

_**Silence**_

I turned to face the man sitting next to me, he wasn't moving, in fact I'm not sure he was breathing. _He's in shock... maybe Monique was right... maybe I shouldn't have said anything... and just drop hints and wait... but, I don't do patient very good... so now I have to deal with the consequences_, "If you're worried about this being a rebound, you don't need to. Ask Mon, I am over Josh... and I finally realized that I've had the perfect guy right in front of me all these years. I've just been to busy crushing on Josh or some other guy to notice that no matter what, you've always been there for me. For crying out loud, you climbed a mountain for me so I _could_ go on a date." he had dropped his hand to his side and I couldn't see his face with me head buried on his chest, "Please say something!"

When he still didn't answer I pulled my head back to look him in the face, he looked terrified, _oh, great he's in shock... or... no, that can't be... can it?... _I could feel the blood drain from my face, _he doesn't like me... oh no, what did I just do?... I just screwed up the longest friendship I've ever had... _

"Kim," _no, he called me Kim, not KP... and that's his serious voice... he only uses his serious voice when he has to... _"You're right we need to talk." He took a deep breath before continuing, _I'm not going to like this am I?..._ "I- Well you see I-. Okay, I can do this. KP, I can only tell you part of it right now. You can ask any questions when I get this all out, but if I say I can't answer, please don't push the issue. Can you do that for me?" His voice was level, but his eyes gave away that he was scared, _what is he scared of?_, I nodded both in reply and in encouragement, "I would be lying if I said I didn't like you, and I _do_ believe that you are over Josh. And if we were having this conversation last week, the panic I'm feeling would be for completely different reasons. But it's not a week ago, and things have changed a little with me. Things that I haven't talked to you or, well I guess, anybody about. I know we said we would tell each other everything, and I plan on keeping that promise, but right now I can't say some things because it's not only my secret right now. I just started seeing someone, I've known them for a while and recently we became very close and things changed from just knowing who each other was to really _knowing_ each other, and in doing so we clicked. The reason we're not saying anything right now, is because there are some people at school who aren't going to take the news lightly and we want to make sure that we can make it work before we add in the stress of other people jumping us from all sides, but you will be the first person to know." I tried to tell him that I'm his best friend first and would stand beside him no matter what, but he stopped me before the words found their way out of my mouth, "We're best friends, and always will be, even if sometime in the future we end up together we will still be best friends. Don't you ever forget that, that also means that if things work out where they are we will still be best friends, nothing can change that. I promise."

"So, I just made a complete idiot out of myself to my best friend, proclaiming my deepest feelings towards him. And, he tells me, out of the blue, that he's seeing someone else, but can't tell me who. I don't even know what I'm supposed to feel, angry and jealous that someone beat me to you and I don't even know who it is, depressed because I can't be with you and now things are going to be awk-weird between us, happy because my best friend found someone who he likes and likes him back. I'm just so confused." I felt myself starting to crack, I felt his arm wrap around me and pull me back into his comforting embrace. "Like this, I know it's just us as friends, we've always done this. I'm heartbroken and down then you come and hold me, calming me down. But, there's the little voice in the back of my head that is telling me I want it to mean more than that."

"To be honest, I've heard that voice for a while. But, I always made it be quiet because I didn't want to ruin our friendship, I was afraid if I said something that the bond we have would be broke and I'd be truly alone." His voice was returning to normal, still serious, but a little more relaxed.

My nerves were calming down, enough that my curiosity was kicking in, "How long is a while?" I looked up to see his face, it had changed to one of panic again, the type I've seen on missions when he finds me and has to tell me he cut the wrong wire or hit the 'big red button' and we really needed to leave.

He scratched the back of his head, "I really need to be heading home and getting some sleep, it's a school night and we have practice tomorrow, and I have plans tomorrow night."

"You have plans tomorrow? Oh, no you don't." I latched onto his arm as he tried to stand, not letting him up, "No changing the subject, you're going to answer my question."

"KP, there are some things that are best left unsaid."

"If you don't tell me, I'm going to call Monique right now and find out. And if she doesn't know, I'm going to call Felix, and as a last resort I'll ask my mother, she seems to know more than she lets on." The tension had all but left the room, _I guess it's a good thing our friendship is as strong as it is... maybe we'll make it out of this okay... well, one broken heart, but okay..._

"You wouldn't dare," I just raised my eyebrows to say 'try me', "Fine, fine. Are you sure you want to know?" I started to reach for my phone on my dresser, "Okay, stop I'll tell you, just put the phone down. I've heard that little voice since before I liked girls, probably 5 minutes after I met you. The whole 'you're weird' introduction, sorta made me cautious to start with, then like I said, we got close enough as friends that I didn't want to screw that up."

My jaw hit the ground, but I wasn't allowed to reply because a voice we both knew better than to ignore yelled from downstairs, "Ron! I think it's time you went home, it's a school night and you don't want to be tired. And, Kimmie-cub, when he's gone I really think it would be a good idea for you to find your way to bed."

"I guess I'd better get going. But remember, I'm always here for you. Best friends till the end of the world, and probably long after."

"Ron," at first I couldn't figure out what I wanted to say so I had to pause, "Ron, I'm truly glad I have a friend like you. And I know you'll always be there for me, and I want you to know the same goes for you, I'm always here."

Wrapping me up in a tight squeeze he said, "I know KP, thanks. I think I'd better get going before Mr. Dr. P decides to remove me by force, see you tomorrow." With that he disappeared through the entrance to my room.

_Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow... and more than likely, tonight... I'm going to have to ask him how he got that voice to shut up... I can't believe what just happened..._ My head was hurting from all the crying I had done, the emotional stress I was going through, and the shock of Ron's secret relationship, _speaking of which... I wonder who it is... he said he'd tell you when it was time... I'm too tire tonight to figure it out... but Ron, my Ron, is going out with someone else..._ I could feel the pressure starting to build I had suppressed for a while, when Ron was still here, _I have to be strong... it hurts, but I can't let him know that he's hurting me... he'd probably do something stupid like break up with 'Mystery Girl'... would that be a ba-... YES Kim, that would be a bad thing, don't think like that..._ I couldn't hold it anymore, the dam broke and I began sobbing into my pandaroo, _why now?... why did someone pick now of all times to notice that Ron is so amazing... why did I just now realize how amazing he really is... _I came to the understanding that this might become a nightly ritual as the crying drained the last of my energy and I was forced to surrender to sleep.

Tion Medon to Obi-Wan when Obi-Wan arrives to take care of General Grievous. (Ep: III)

Qui-Gon Jinn to Watto when he bets the spaceship on the race (Ep: I)

Anakin to Obi-Wan as he jumps out of the speeder (Ep: II)


	6. A Normal Day

A/N: I'm apologizing in advance, Monday is a long day, long enough that I didn't like one chapter. So I'm making into two shorter chapters, that are unfortuanately separated by a clifhanger. Nothing _horrible_, but still a cliffhanger.

There are some changes in the way Bonnie acts at school, I want to know if I did that too fast. I think I've given enough of a lead and the changes we see match the pattern, but I would like your opinions to make sure. Thanks in advance for that one.

I apologize and warn in advance, Monday is a big day, therefore is being split into two smaller chapters by a cliffhanger.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible, if I did, I would be rich and my stories would be on TV rather than here.

* * *

**Ron's POV**

_Another wasted morning I could be asleep... why does school have to start this early?... I guess I should actually get up... but I'm so comfortable right here... not quite as comfortable as I felt the other day... which one?... oh, headache ahead, don't go there this early..._ I fought and unfortunately won the battle with the blankets trying to hold me in the confines of my bed. _It's time to face the day... Veni, Vidi, Vici... or something like that..._

My body normally entered _autopilot: get ready for school_ mode about then. But today I actually thought about the stuff I was doing; brush my teeth, deodorant, run a comb through my hair, _why didn't I keep that hair cut_, and finally go to closet grab something and change, everything went as it normally does except I didn't just grab _something_ out of my closet. I for some reason felt like trying today, so I grabbed one of the shirts and a pair of pants that KP and Monique had bought me in one of their attempts to help me out. _This is odd... I never used to worry about what I wore... as long as it was comfortable... then again, I've never had any reason to..._

"Rufus buddy. I'm going to tell you something, and because KP can't understand you I don't have to worry about you telling her, but I'd still appreciate if you kept this to yourself for a while." My pocket pet yawned and looked at me expectantly, "I've got a girlfriend, and you'll never guess who it is."

His eyes widened with curiosity, "Hink, who?"

"Bonnie Rockwaller." The little guy rubbed his eyes and pinched himself, "I'm not kidding Rufus, the last few days have been crazy. I'm sorry you missed out on a lot of it, and I'm definitely sorry you had to test drive some of the Tweebs' inventions. I'm going to make it up to you."

The grin on his face told me he had a few ideas as to how I could do it, but he just climbed from my hand to his daytime residence in my pocket. With his head hanging out I heard his inquiry, "Bonnie, huh?"

"Yeah, it caught me off too, but I think it's gonna be a good thing." _A very good thing... _The thought of those beautiful blue eyes and that intoxicating vanilla scent made me smile as I grabbed my bag and headed out the door.

_**Knock**_

As I entered I heard the voice of my second mom coming from the kitchen, "Hey Ron. Kim's about ready, do you want breakfast while you wait? I made pancakes."

"You know I can't turn down your pancakes Mrs. Dr. P." _It's weird how this is as much of a home as my house is... weird in a good way, but still weird... _Thinking about last nights conversation with KP, I remembered how she mentioned her mom had to know more than she was letting on, well she was right, Mrs. P and I had talked about my feelings about her daughter a long time ago. She's known for a while that I liked Kim, and even though she wouldn't say it, I think she knew Kim liked me deep down a long time ago.

I was polishing off the last few bites as I heard a light thud at the bottom of the stairs, "KIM!"

Knowing that she'd just jumped the banister, I laughed a little. "Sorry, I forgot." was the only response the older man got. "Hey, Ron. Are you ready?"

"Am I ready? Hello, who has already been up long enough to get dressed, make it to his best friends house, _and_ have a wonderful breakfast made by said friends mother." I made sure Mrs. P. heard me, _need to let her know I like the cooking... no matter how many times I've told her_.

"Are you trying to insinuate that I'm _slow_? Because if that's the case, we could always race to school."

"That might be unfair, considering I have my scooter."

"You're right, I'd have to give you a head start."

"You did _not_ just dis the wheels! You're going to take that back if you want a ride."

"Now that's just not right, you know I didn't mean it." She let her bottom lip drop just enough to win.

"Fine, but that's cheating." _At least she didn't abuse the PDP... that would **not** be fair..._

"See, I knew you'd see things my way. And no it's not cheating, it's using what resources are available." she was smiling again, _wow, she's got a great smile... Ron, you've got a girlfriend... what? I can't appreciate my best friends' smile?... okay, so maybe I should take it easy..._

"You two need to be going, you'll be late if you don't. And you don't need any more detentions Ron." _She even sounds like my mom... I wonder, is there a class where they teach women those 'motherly things to say' or is it bred into their genetics?..._

"Yes ma'am." and we made our way out.

Now I know that we've rode together to school before, but today felt different. It wasn't awk-weird, _at least I didn't think so_, but I couldn't think of anything else to call it; I was going out with one amazing girl, who just happens to be my best friend's rival, and said best friend recently confessed to wanting to be more that friends and now has her hands wrapped around my waist and is holding on tight as we made our way to the building that sucks your soul away.

I knew that when Bon-Bon and I did expose our relationship KP was going to take it hard; she already didn't take the rejection lightly. _She put on a good face... but she probably cried herself to sleep... she's a tough girl... besides, how many times have you found yourself in her shoes... it's about time... NO, I can't think like that... I may be upset about all the times she ditched me for some guy, but no one deserves to feel like that... but what can I do?... I can't date them both... can I?... well, I guess I could if I felt like committing suicide... I might as well go to Shego's cell and march in unarmed and unprotected, close my eyes and lip off_.

I shook my heads of the thoughts as we pulled into the parking lot and found 'my' space. "Um KP, are you going to let go?"

We'd stopped but she was lost in another world again and hadn't noticed. She blushed a bit before crawling off and handed me her helmet to latch on. The walk in was normal, she was asking whether I had my homework done for English and Algebra II, I of course didn't but reassured her it would get done on time.

I was grabbing my books for my first class when I heard five words that caused me to hesitate, "Hey Wade, What's the stitch?"

Walking over to see what information the computer genius had for us, I heard something that made my stomach tie itself into a knot, "Shego broke out last night." _Well, there goes that idea..._

"What! How? I thought GJ had a cell designed specially for containing her and there was no way she could escape." the redhead was saying what my brain couldn't put into words, _I'm so screwed_.

"She had help. She _really_ wanted out because she called in a favor with the Seniors to get out, and get this, she hasn't broke Drakken out yet either. I'd keep an eye out for her and call you as soon as I have a fix." he was looking at me, almost in pity knowing what she would do to me for beating her. _Why did I do that?... why couldn't I just let KP handle it like she always does?..._ I decided it was a good thing my girlfriend knew how to speed the healing process along, I was almost completely mobile again.

"Ron? Are you going to be okay? You look pale." I glanced in her locker, the screen was blank which meant Wade and her had finished their conversation while I was having my own in my head.

"Yeah, I was just thinking about how much _fun_ we're going to have next time we run into her. Not only is she going to have her normal 'I wanna beat you Princess' attitude, now she's going to have 'I got beat by the buffoon, and I want revenge' on top of that." her facial expression was trying to give me confidence, but her eyes were telling the whole story, she was as scared as I was.

"Well, we'll just deal with that when the time comes. Now I think you'd better get some of that homework done. You do realize it's called _home_work for a reason, don't you?" I refused to answer that, she knows I put things off till the last minute, but she still says something. I wasn't in the mood for a lecture on my study habits and nodded to her as I turned around to find my first class, _Brain Drain 101- where any enthusiasm to learn for the day is removed_.

"Hi Ron." At the sound of that musical greeting, half the hallway froze in place and the other half was turning to see what was going on. _Oh, yeah... this is going to be easy when you decide to tell them the whole story..._

"Hey Bonnie." I didn't stop to talk, and she had kept walking the other direction. As soon as we were 15 feet apart again, the hall erupted with chatter, I heard everything from 'what's he holding over her?' to 'she is just showing pity on the loser' to 'I heard Ron got his hands on a mind control device'. I couldn't help but laugh at some, but more often than not they made my stomach churn in disgust or my blood boil.

This or a similar scene repeated itself a couple times through the morning, _I never realized how much our paths crossed_, then came Biology. Can anyone say awk-weird for me, I swear everyone had to have ran to get to class because by the time I got there, _I wasn't even running late this time,_ everyone was in their seats and were watching my every move; I felt like some side show at the circus. Another thing I noticed was there were only two seats open, right next to each other, and looking around I noticed that _she_ wasn't here yet. _Oh this day keeps getting better and better... wait, why am I complaining... I get to sit beside my girlfriend... oh yeah, I can't say anything yet... darn, that would make things easier..._

As soon as I sat down, a choir of angels came down and started singing, _well in my head they were_, as the door opened for the last time. The same scene as when I came in repeated, everyone got silent and watched her every move, looking for something. She sat down, not looking at me more than she had to, but in one of her glances I saw frustration and regret, _so she's good old Bonnie again... well, it was good while it lasted... I probably shouldn't have got my hopes up in the first place..._ I was starting to wallow in self pity when class began. As much as I tried I couldn't pay attention to Mr. Barkin rambling about the reproductive habits of squids, _gross and wrong on **so** many levels_, and I almost missed a folded piece of paper drop in my lap.

My curiosity was peaked as I opened it...

_Ronnie,_

_Keep acting like you're taking notes, if B gets this I'm going to undo some of the good I did to your back. We need to talk, lunch, band room, watch for when I leave. Don't worry, it'll be fine._

_Like I'm going to sign this :-)_ (A/N: she actually drew a little face here)

I sighed a little in relief, _I was wrong... of course you were wrong... ye of little faith, you both knew it wouldn't be easy... then what is the look of regret for?... find out in a few..._ I think my guardian angel was working overtime today, because right then the bell rang for lunch.

"See you in a bit, I need some Ronshine." her face never changed, and she had spoke quiet enough that I knew I was the only one who could hear her.

_BOO-YAH!_ My head hit overdrive and started racing. It's a good thing I learned how to control myself, or everyone would have found out right then and there.

"Uh-oh." I looked down to see where my little buddy was looking, apparently in her rush to get to the cafeteria Bonnie accidentally ran into Kim. Kim's papers were all over the floor, and she looked about as happy as a wet cat.

Then, the unthinkable happened, "Sorry I wasn't watching where I was going." Both of the girls were too wrapped up in their own thought to realize who they'd just bumped into and said it at the same time. Then it sank in, Kim gave Bonnie a look that could kill, and Bonnie... Bonnie didn't do anything, she didn't return the glare, she didn't kick Kim's stuff all over, but she didn't bend over to help either. _Well it's an improvement_, finally Bonnie said quietly, "Sorry Kim, I gotta go." and took off down the hall at breakneck speeds, not running but any faster and she would have been.

I'd just sat down and slid a spare slice of school pizza to Rufus when Kim and Monique showed up, "It was just too weird: no glare, no snide remarks, nothing at all. I was shocked, maybe what you said is true Mon."

"What's going on ladies?" I knew part of it, but I was wondering what Monique was hearing. She's got connections in every gossip circle in school, and if something big happens she usually knows before anybody else.

"I've been told from a few different people that Bonnie seems to be turning over a new leaf. She's still Bonnie, but different. One story I heard was that she cornered Brick and told him that if she ever heard of him being a bully again she was going to, quote, personally see to it that he was unable to reproduce and spread his stupidity to future generations, end quote. I've heard several like it, and what Kim just told me seems to fit the profile. Bonnie is changing some things in her life right now, and everything seems to be pointing to for the better."

"So she's a whole different person, or she's just changing some of her bad habits?" I wanted to make sure she wasn't going to make people think she wasn't Bonnie anymore, _besides I like Bonnie as she is... well, I guess how she really is_.

"No, she's definitely still Bonnie. I mean who besides Bonnie would have told Brick what she did, it's just like she is trying to not be a Queen B for no reason. Like I said, still Bonnie, but changing little things for the better. I even heard she said hi to someone she considers a loser this morning, it's not like she sat down and had a conversation with them, she just said hi. But, for Bonnie that's a miracle."

"I think you guys are too hard on her. I mean yeah she can be a little cranky once in a while, but I'd bet you anything that she's really a great person once you get to know her." The thuds I heard when the two ladies jaws hit the ground made me wonder if I'd gone too far with the praises.

"Who are you and what have you done with Ron? Turn around, I want to make sure you don't have a chip on the back of your neck. Maybe Shego put one on you while you were fighting her and we just didn't notice."

"I think I'd notice a chip on the back of my neck, and I _am_ Ron. The same goofy sidekick you've had since the whole save the flamingoat thing, okay _tin teeth_." I threw in her old nickname. From anybody else, Monique included, she'd get mad and threaten to make short work of them, but when I say stuff like that she laughs it off and usually ends up dishing it back at me.

This time was no different, "I thought I told you, you are my partner. Can you get that through your thick skull buffoon?" We were both laughing while Monique sat there unsure as to what to do, she's been around long enough to know we're not serious, but still is unsure whether she should join in, laugh with us, or try and stop us. _Now that I think about it... what is she supposed to do..._

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the brown locks that I knew held the soothing smell of vanilla slip out of the lunch room. "Okay, KP. You win, I'm your partner. But I would know if I had a chip attached to the back of my head." then finishing off the stuff on my plate the state calls food, "I got to go do something, later." Rufus slid into my pocket as I took off, and I saw a look of confusion on both girls' faces.

"Hello? Where are you? I've got a special delivery: one dose of Ronshine for the most amazing woman in the world" The lights were off and everyone knew that if you wanted privacy down here to leave them that way, besides the light filtering in the windows was usually enough to see by, just not some of the darker corners.

I felt a set of hands wrap around my waist from behind, "Hmm, I'll sign for that." I turned to face her and wrapped my arms around her back as she laid her head on my chest and pulled herself in close. I dropped my face to the top of her head and placed a few light kisses before just standing there breathing her in. Without warning she let go and backed away from me, "You're in trouble by the way."

My eyes must have looked like they were going to pop out, "What'd I do, I showed up and I thought we were enjoying ourselves?"

"Well you see, that's the problem. You let me tell you what to do, you shouldn't have let me talk you into not saying anything, it's driving me nuts. Tara knows that I have a new boyfriend, how I don't know, she just said she can tell. And because I made you agree not to say anything, I don't think it'd be fair if I said something."

"So you're mad at me for _agreeing_ with you?" I was truly confused at this point.

"Yes." _Okay, confusion is over... not!_, "And I think you need a good tongue lashing for punishment."

_Great, now she's going to ye-_, that thought went right out the window as she returned to my arms and stood on her tip-toes to give me a kiss on the cheek. I finally understood what was going on, _curse my brain for not understanding what she meant_. "I thought I was in for a tongue lashing." as my arms found their way back around her, _two can play this game_.

"You are, I was just making sure you were prepared." she put a hand on the back of my head and guided me down towards her waiting mouth.

I stopped just short, "What if I don't want to be punished?" I felt her shiver as I spoke.

"You don't get a choice in the matter." I felt her voice as much as I heard it. I closed the gap between us on my own, there was more force in this kiss than before, but the passion was just as strong. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better I felt her tongue trying to gain entrance to my mouth; I wasn't about to deny her, and accepted it. I started to allow my tongue to roam, trying to return the favor, when she pulled away, "Nope, you are a bad boy, I'm punishing you." then pulled me back into a kiss, _who am I to argue_. I smiled into the kiss, and felt her do the same. Her tongue finally retreated, and we were left in a soft sweet kiss.

We both needed to breathe, but neither of us wanted to break apart. When we did I asked, "Have I been punished enough, or do I have to go through that again?"

Rufus stuck his head out, just in time to see Bonnie smile and lay her face back against my chest, while I in turn buried my face in her brown locks. "Huh? Oh, Bonnie!" and he dove back into hiding.

"You do realize that is a bit creepy don't you?"

"How wude!(1) He's not used to this whole Bonnie being nice to Ron thing." His head was peeking out from under the flap listening to our conversation.

And to my surprise she looked down at him and apologized, and Rufus graciously ran up my arm and to her shoulder to give her a hug, "Hink, thanks." He promptly disappeared back into my pocket, probably to sleep off the food he'd recently ate.

"That's quite the accomplishment. He's usually not so receptive." She smiled not sure whether that was a compliment or how to take it, but instead of trying to explain that it was a good thing I just pulled her back against me.

We stood there just enjoying each others comfort for a while, when she finally added, "You've had enough punishment for now." as she seemed to pull even closer, which I didn't know was possible.

"So, since I'm in trouble for not arguing with you about this to begin with. Would you do me a favor?" She looked up at me with curiosity, "Would you be there when I tell Kim tomorrow before school?" The curiosity instantly turned to panic, then fear.

"I really don't want to be anywhere within about a three block radius of her when she finds out. Sixteen styles of kung fu against cheerleading and gymnastics does not equate."

"And you think that 16 styles of kung fu against natural goofiness does?" I knew where she was coming from, I was scared too. "I think it'd be better if we're both there, I should be able to calm her down enough to talk things out, and with you there she's more likely to believe me."

"Then what? Just show up at school together, and let the rumor mill spread things for us?"

"I could make sure the truth gets out there, I know someone with gossip connections everywhere that would be willing to help I'm pretty sure." _please Monique... I might need your help for once,_ "Speaking of which, I heard a _rumor_ that you cornered Brick and basically threatened him with castration."

"If you have connections like that, why don't you use them more often? Never mind, what you heard... it doesn't matter." she took a deep breath and said, "Okay, I'll stop by and pick you up tomorrow, and we can stop by Kim's house and tell her before we show up here and have to face the music." I smiled at the (looking around) appropriate analogy.

"Tomorrow it is then." looking back down I said, "I might need to be punished in advance for the rest of the day."

"No, your punishment is over for right now. But, you better get down here and deliver that package of Ronshine I asked for."

"Boo-yah, package signed for, here you go." as I dropped my head to meet hers. This time I was allowed to explore her mouth, the feeling of our tongues intertwined sent chills down my spine.

_**Ring**_

"At least the package was delivered before time ran out." she smiled and with a quick peck on my cheek turned towards the door, "See you later, Mad Dog."

"Can't wait to see you in your cheerleading uniform, Bon-Bon." I knew I was going to enjoy practice today.

**Bonnie's POV**

I made it through the rest of the day after getting my fix of Ronshine. _I can't wait till I don't have to just get a fix... tomorrow I'll get it whenever I need it... of course that's between trying to pay attention in class and beating off the curious stares and making sure Barkin isn't around... all worth it I hope_... I saw Ron a couple more times, I always said hello and made eye contact to let him know I was thinking about earlier. But true to my word, I didn't do anything to announce there might be something more between us, _why did I even think that was a good idea... oh yeah, that's right... I still cling to the food-chain a little... and I am afraid of what some people are going to do... I hope my conversation with Brick doesn't go to waste..._

"Bonnie?"

I turned to see one of the last people I ever expected to see approaching me, "Uh, hi Monique. Can I do something for you?" _and what do you want?... this is just weird..._ It's not that I have anything against her, it's just we run in different circles and don't really share much common ground, so I was surprised.

"I've been hearing some... things today about you and I wanted to find out if they're true."

"I don't know what you've been hearing, but ignore it. Okay? If people have nothing better to do with their lives than gossip about other people, they need to go get a life." I was probably a little harsh on her, but I was sick and tired of the crap. I had spent my whole life in that crap and I wanted out, right then I had an epiphany, _Ron's not at the bottom of the 'food-chain' he's not on it at all... he removed himself from it... that's why things don't bother him... he's completely devoid of it... I really want to get there... just takes a little bit of time... I can't change overnight..._

"Well, what I've been hearing seems to be good. I just wanted to find out if it was true, and if so what brought it about. Sorry for wasting your time."

She had started to walk away, _come on Bonnie... at least try... that's what you're trying to do... forget about high school hierarchy and deal with each person as they come..._ "Hey, Monique." She turned back towards me but didn't come any closer, "What have you heard, and I'll either verify or correct you. I don't want any lies floating around now do I?" _okay so that wasn't perfect... but it was progress... baby steps Bonnie..._

"I've just been hearing different stories about you changing, for the better. Everything I've heard sounds like something you wouldn't normally do, but it's still being done like you, if that makes any sense at all." _what's weird is that **did** make sense..._ I nodded for her to continue, "There are a couple real juicy stories I've heard that I was curious how close to fact they were," _oh crap... there's no way people know yet... I haven't said anything yet... were we too obvious in the halls some time... did someone see us go into the band room... calm down Bonnie, it's okay, you're going to tell them anyways..._ "The BIG one revolves around the idea that you cornered Brick and threatened him with his manhood to quit being such a, well, brick-head."

I laughed a little at my memory of his face, "Something like that. He had been doing some things that I didn't like, hurting people I'm close to, and as for the threatening him with his manhood, well let's just say if he doesn't listen his voice might get a little higher. They say it happens when the male body loses it's source of testosterone." I shrugged as if it was nothing and started to walk away figuring she got what she was after.

"One more thing," I turned back, "I've also heard you are dating someone, but aren't saying who. Is that right, and if you don't mind saying, why?"

_Oh crap... I'm not going to say anything... I'm not going to say anything... I'm not... _"I am seeing someone and right now we're not saying anything, that much is true. As for who, well you'll find out soon enough." I could see the wheels turning and knew she didn't have anymore questions for me, so I started to meander towards the gym for practice.

_Monique? Where else do I know that name from... OH NO, that's Kim's other best friend... which means she probably talks to Ron... and if she talks to Ron, she's the one who told him about Brick... which means she's probably his 'connection'... and if she's half as good as she should be... she's going to put two and two together... and she's going to know about Ron and me... well, he was going to use her for damage control anyways... this way she'll know it's for real... sometimes gossip mills won't take things straight from the horses mouth... they want to figure it out for themselves..._

My heart about jumped out of it's place in my chest when I saw a blond head of hair ahead of me walking towards the gym. I wanted to call out and get some Ronshine before practice, but held my tongue when I saw a full head of red hair run up beside him, _curse her bad timing_. They were just getting to the entrance to the girls locker room and I was about 20 feet behind, she turned in and I had to 'clear my throat' loud enough to catch his attention. Looking down the hallway seeing the coast was clear he stopped and waited on me to get to him.

He just put an arm around my shoulders pulling me up beside him, "Are you ready for this?"

"Are you?" I shot back, knowing he was as nervous as I was about being able to keep our cover for the next two hours.

"This is where the fun begins.(2)" he quoted with a shaky smirk.

"Then I guess it's time for a party." we both shared an uneasy smile before he gave me a small squeeze and made his way towards the guys locker room.

I stepped into the gym and did a quick survey of who was where, taking note that we were one, foaming at the mouth, mascot short but didn't say anything. "Let's get this show on the road, what's the hold up?" one of the girls said as we were finishing stretches.

I wasn't paying attention to who it was, but it got our _fearless leader_ to kick things into action, "Okay ladies, let's get..." but for some reason she stopped in the middle of her sentence and was staring at the doorway. As I turned to see what caught her eye, I heard Kim's voice change to mission mode and hiss, "Shego!"

1 Jar-Jar Binks on multiple occasions (Ep: I)

2 Anakin during opening space battle (Ep: III)


	7. Revelations

A/N: This is the longest chapter so far, like I said last time Monday was a busy day. There is some language in this chapter, it's not horrible, and I felt that given the stitch it was appropriate. Sorry about the wait on this chapter, not only was it long, but I couldn't decide whether Ron should pull another ace out of his sleeve (you have to read to find out). And, I didn't write the "date" (again, read to find out) because I thought it was unneeded, it might be referenced in flashbacks or conversations in the future; I'll say just assume they enjoyed themselves, but behaved.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible, if I did, I would be rich and my stories would be on TV rather than here.

* * *

"Okay ladies, let's get..." but for some reason she stopped in the middle of her sentence and was staring at the doorway. As I turned to see what caught her eye, I heard Kim's voice change to mission mode and hiss, "Shego!"

"Hey, Princess. Don't worry I'm not here to fight. Well not you anyways. I know he's the mascot, and this is practice, where is he?" I looked around, he _still_ hadn't came up from the locker room. Kim's eyes had also drifted towards the locker room door, and this is all the information the green clad woman needed. She walked over to the door pulled it open and yelled, "Ron Stoppable, get out here now." there was no immediate response, "Buffoon, don't make me come in there. It'll be embarrassing for all of us."

This seemed to pull his attention, "I'm coming, clear the door." He came barreling out the door like a bat out of Hell. And he looked like he'd been there recently, his shirt was torn in a few places and he was dirty, like he was curled up on the floor. Once clear of the locker room he looked around and saw for the first time who had been calling him, the blood drained from his face. _Oh please don't hurt him... yeah, he sent you to jail... but you were robbing Fort Knox... you can't say you didn't have it coming..._ He groaned and stood up straight, "I was hoping you would take some time off before coming back to get your green hide handed to you again." _Ron, what are you thinking... she's going to pulverize you..._

Right then three of the football players who were out for basketball to keep in shape came running out the door, "Oh, Ron. Why did you run off, we were starting to have so much fun." But stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of Shego, then looking around the gym at a bunch of less-than-happy cheerleaders decided it was better for their health if they left, in a hurry I might add. _I guess Brick didn't get the message passed along... gonna have to fix that..._

"Okay, so that was... interesting. You dropped me like a hot potato, yet you're getting the crap kicked out of you by three thick skulled jocks. I'll bet one of the cheapest henchmen the Doc has on his payroll could take them out!" She was not happy about what she just saw, _of course neither am I_.

"Bonnie, get the rest of the squad out of here!" I looked around to see the source of the voice, "Are you deaf, get them out, NOW!" Kim was in full mission mode and was taking charge of the situation.

I looked at Ron before moving, he just nodded. "Okay, let's get out of here before we get hurt. This is what they do." some of them seemed reluctant to move, "DID YOU NOT HEAR HER? SHE SAID MOVE!"

I started escorting everyone to the door, but a green blast stopped us short of the door, "Typically I'd say stay here because we would need a bargaining chip. But this time, I don't plan on needing to negotiate I'm just warning you, DON'T call the authorities, it would be bad for your mascot's health."

_**Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep**_

"Yeah Wade, I know she's on her way here, right?"

_"Yeah, how did you know already, I just found out."_

"She's already here. Sorry I gotta go. Oh, by the way, don't let GJ come in under any circumstances." and she flipped the device over her shoulder into her bag.

"Leave them out of this." motioning to us, Ron was completely void of the scared little boy that had came out of the locker room just minutes ago, "If you want me, you got me."

I was already herding the girls back towards the exit, "Come on, get out of here." I was behind them making sure no one decided to stay and do what I was planning, _are you crazy Bonnie?... just a little... but I can't just leave him here alone... he's not alone, he's got Kim to cover him... and that's supposed to make me feel better... I'm not going to jump in and fight... I just want to be there when, no I mean IF, he gets hurt and needs someone to help him..._ As soon as Tara, who had a knowing look on her face, was through the door, I closed it and grabbed a broom handle to seal it.

Turning back towards the impending blood bath, "Ron, no. You're too hurt right now, she'd tear you apart." I was thinking it, but the words came from his partner.

"KP, you don't think I know this. I shouldn't have won last time, but I did." he cringed at yelling and grabbed his ribs before continuing, "So, what do you want: my skin stretched and hung on your wall, my skull to bleach and set on your mantle, or my personal favorite, a shrunken head for the book shelf?" _How can he joke at a time like this..._

"What I want is a chance to see what you're really made of. And since this is a completely off the clock, I'm not getting paid for this fight, there are going to be some ground rules." _Rules?... you're a villain..._ "But before we get to that... Kimmie, have you taken my advice and grabbed the goods yet?"

I wasn't the only one who was confused by the question. Kim apparently understood though, because her head dropped.

**Kim's POV**

_No, I haven't 'grabbed the good' because they're not up for grabs... I waited to long..._

Shego knew from the look on my face that I hadn't taken her advice, "Shame, well I guess I'm going to have to take drastic measures to force your hand. Do you remember what I said about if you hadn't done anything?" my confidence along with my voice was gone, so I couldn't vocalize my answer, but a nod was enough, "I don't go back on my word, so last chance."

"I can't..." I tried to finish the thought, but my vocal chords wouldn't cooperate, _I can't do what you think I should, because he's already taken... I stepped up to the proverbial plate, swung and missed..._

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you." I watched her turn towards my best friend, "Don't worry, I'm not going to fight you yet, that's in a bit." as she started walking towards him, "This will be painless, heck you might even enjoy yourself; it's just to get Kimmie to pull her head out and do something she should have done a long time ago."

Ron was completely confused, Rufus was running off in the direction of the door my teammates had just disappeared through, and Shego kept getting closer to Ron. She was walking with her arms at her sides, there was no way she could either attack or defend from her stance, but my legs had taken to the same ailment my lips had, they just didn't want to work. "What are you doing Shego? KP? Kim? What's going on, why is Shego walking up to me like that?"

"I said I'm not going to hurt you, yet. Have I ever given you reason not to trust me?" seeing the look on his face she restated her question, "okay so maybe that's a bad way to ask. Have I ever given you reason not to trust me in a fight, I do fight fair, right?" He nodded, but was still on the defensive, "Okay, then I'll tell you when we're going to fight. Right now, I need to do this, for Princess over there."

She leaned in and to everyone's shock wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a deep kiss, "Get your green hands off my boyfriend!" The sudden outburst caught me off guard, first off it hadn't come from my mouth, _he's not my boyfriend unfortunately_, and that about floored me was who it was, she was supposed to be with the rest of the team safely through those doors. _I'm seeing things... and hearing things... I've hit full blown hallucinations... maybe this is a bad dream... yeah, that's it, a bad dream that I'm going to wake up from..._

"Not bad." Shego had broke her forced lip-lock with Ron and was now looking towards the blue eyed devil walking her direction, with a hairless pink rodent sitting on her shoulder. "Oh," as if she was realizing I wasn't the one who yelled, "So, you're the reason... and she probably did... Ooh, things just got interesting. I'm going to have to change the stakes a bit though, I hope you don't mind Stoppable." _What does she mean, change the stakes... I didn't know they were betting on this..._

"Bonnie, do you realize what you just said? And KP said to get out of here. Please go, I can't have you getting hurt on my account." Ron was shaking off the shock of having his personal space invaded, _ and at the shock of Bonnie saying something **that** random to throw Shego off... it was just to throw her off, right?_

"Do I look like I'm going anywhere? I already got the others out of here, I'm not leaving you alone. I know what I said, so it's a little earlier than planned. We'll deal with it" she shrugged and walked over to him to offer him a little support. _Brain shutting down... input error... major malfunction... system crash eminent... Bonnie is helping Ron... and, no she just said that to throw Shego off... right?..._

"How heart warming, the buffoon finally got a girlfriend." she mocked while placing both hands over her heart. "Quite a dish too, I might add."

"The name is Ron, Ron Stoppable. Why can't you remember that?"

"Oh, trust me I remember. I will always remember, you beat me once. Which is why I'm here."

My anger overcame my mental shut down, "You're not going to fight Ron, you can either leave, fight me, or sit here till GJ gets here and hauls you back to that hole you belong in."

"Wrong again. I am going to fight Ronnie here, but there will be rules. Seeing how he's not in prime condition, he can call 3 _timeouts_ at any time he feels it is necessary, I feel that will more than make up for his current state of discomfort. Second, YOU and the good side's equivalent of henchmen, GJ, will not interfere," she was pointing at me, "if either of you do, I light up and all rules go out the window. Which leads to number three, I will not light up unless one of the other rules has been breached, therefore we should be on an even more equal footing and it'll be more fun for us. Number four, this is where the stakes I was talking about come in. It was going to be if you won, you got a trip and meal paid for to anywhere in the world for you and Kimmie. And if you lost, you were going to cook me a meal fit for a queen. However, in light of recent events I'm going to change things, in your favor I might add. If you win, you and Ms..."

"Rockwaller, Bonnie Rockwaller."

"OH!" just realizing the brown haired girl holding onto Ron was one of the people she'd heard me complaining to Ron about on missions, "as I was saying, if you win, you and your girlfriend get a trip to anywhere at my expense. Now if you loose, you and Princess are going on a romantic date to my choice of destination, plus I get my meal. Again, I will pay for this; I have my reasons and I ask that you don't ask. And finally the most important rule, winner is decided when the opponent says the safe words... Monkey's Rule. I think they are random enough words that they wouldn't be used in general conversation and they shouldn't be confused with anything else easily. Other than that, I think it's pretty self explanatory. Any questions?"

"Just one, why?" Ron was basically begging her for an answer.

"Simple, I've been beat by two people in this world. One because we are too close to the same ability and she is the only person who had ever offered me a challenge. The other, well I'm not sure how. It was quick and almost painless, well for me it was. And I just want to find out whether it was a fluke or whether I should actually be paying attention to you from now on when you come to stop Dr. D and his crazy plans. Look at it this way, this is a win-win situation for both of us, yeah one or both of us is going to walk away sore which will suck, but you get a free meal either way, and my incentive for winning is something I'd rather not get into until afterwards if you don't mind, but loosing won't hurt my feelings either. It'll hurt my pride, but it should serve the same purpose in the long run." she had started rambling like a typical villain, _so unlike her_.

"I was actually asking about the safe words, because monkey's don't rule. But, I'm guessing I don't have a choice in any of this do I." Shego just shook her head and took a stance, "Bon-Bon, you might be busy for a few more days." she looked like she was going to start crying or blow up and take on Shego herself, or both, till Ron kissed her forehead and said, "I'll live, I might be a little stiffer than normal, but I'll live. Now, please go over by KP. You can explain things to her now, because I'm not sure how easy it'll be to talk with my jaw wired shut."

"I can't let her do this, she already hurt you once. I don't want her to do it again." my brain was going back into overload, _Bonnie is Ron's girlfriend?... Ron told me no because of her! somethings not right with this picture..._

Then, before anybody could react, Shego grabbed Bonnie's arm, picked her up and _tossed_ her towards me, "I was getting tired of waiting," with a shrug she added, "What can I say, I'm not the most patient person."

I caught Bonnie, and was able to keep us both on our feet. We were collecting ourselves when Ron spoke. His voice sent a shiver down my spine, it was his serious voice, but there was something else in there too that I couldn't place, "You should NOT have done that. Bon-Bon, where do you want to go eat? You can pick anywhere in the world."

"Nice try, but I'm tired of games and stalling." she leapt in her usual fashion across the short distance between them. And again, at the last possible second he moved out of the way. He was too sore to grab her leg and throw her down this time, and instead backed towards me and Bonnie while Shego spun to face him again.

"KP, get her out of here, and stay with her, make sure no one comes in until we're done." he was pointing towards the the girl next to me, "I'll be fine for a while, but I don't want anybody else to get hurt accidentally."

I couldn't do much besides what he asked, "Ron, be careful."

"I hadn't even thought about being careful, I was going be completely reckless and allow her to finish me off with ease." His voice was dripping with sarcasm and I think I heard some anger. _Ron doesn't get angry... he's the one who calms you down... remember?..._

"Is he going to be okay? She won't seriously hurt him, will she? I mean, it's not like she wants him dead? Right Kim?" I turned towards the unusually small voice from beside me. Her face was one of sheer terror, _since when did that happen... she hates, or rather hated, Ron... how did they end up together and how did I miss it?..._

Walking towards the door I managed to force a smile and said, "He's going to be fine." _I'm lying through my teeth... Shego is going to pound him in his current state_, "And she may be evil, but she had a point earlier when she said she fights fair, well minus the whole flaming fists thing, but she said she wouldn't do that as long as no one interfered. I think her pride was hurt when Ron managed to stop her the other day, but I don't think she could kill anybody. It's just not her style." _At least I'm not lying... she isn't the type to kill someone... and I think she'll stop before she seriously injures him... unless he somehow manages to stop her... I doubt it in his current condition, but I also didn't think he could do it the other day when he was in top condition... may be I've underestimated him..._

"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?" I looked over my shoulder to see my best friend circling with my best adversary as we got to the doors, "And where do you think you're taking me, I'm not leaving. She said as long as no one interfered, I'm sitting right here."

I knew what my intentions were on the way over here: get to the door, hold door for Bonnie, close behind Bonnie, then jam door. But, the look in her eyes made me think Ron would have the easy fight if I tried to get her out, "Let's sit here on the bleachers." pointing to the ones closest to us but still half the gym away from the action, "And while we're both sitting here feeling useless, you tell me what the HELL is going on with you and Ron." I was still trying to wrap my mind around the idea, but it wasn't working.

She avoided my gaze as we sat, "This is why we were keeping it quiet for a while." Her head dropped even lower as she pulled her legs up to her chest.

"So what is going on, are you trying to get to me through him? Because if so you're doing a wonderful job." I was in a less than happy mood; my best friend was in an already weak condition and was about to get another round of abuse from my worst enemy, mix that with the fact I found out my biggest rival at school was the one who is keeping me from the man of my dreams, well I thought I had a right to be angry.

"And people say I'm a bitch. This has nothing to do with you, well I guess it does because you're his best friend, but my reasons for doing what I have do NOT include you in them."

"Then would you mind filling me in on why you suddenly decided to try and give such a _loser_ a chance? I thought such things were below the Great Bonnie Rockwaller, Queen B of Middleton High!"

"You should know, you have spent more time with him than anybody else. I don't see how you could possibly have wanted to be with anybody else all these years, he's not a loser." _I know I was blind, but don't rub it in my face... and I know he's not a loser, I've been trying to convince people of that for years..._

"I've known he's not a loser for a while now Bonnie, you're preaching to the choir. But, why now? Why are you taking an interest in him now?" _why now... when I finally realize that I'm going to be lost without him..._

"You wouldn't understand." she dropped her head into her knees and started rocking.

"Try me. Remember, I know him better than anyone. I think I'd understand if somebody said something about him." _well, except how he could possibly like you over me... okay so that was a little over confident... borderline arrogant maybe..._

"I wish he was here." then seeing the look on my face telling her that wasn't an option right the moment continued, "He treats me like a person, not a thing or a trophy. Just being near him makes me a better person. Today just about killed me, seeing him and not being able to go up and just wrap my arms around him."

"I know what you mean," I was just thinking it, but it slipped out, "I- I mean..."

"I know." she stopped me mid-sentence, _what?... how does she know?_, "Why do you think we were keeping it quiet for a while? We wanted a chance to see if it was going to work between us before adding that strain to things. Honestly, I'm surprised that your 16 styles of kung fu hasn't showed your foot the shortest path to my face." _The thought has crossed my mind though..._

Before I got a chance to respond, "TIMEOUT!" echoed through the empty room. Bonnie was the first to move, and when I saw where she was going I was hot on her heals.

"That's one. I'm actually rather impressed, the Doctor is going to have to pay for the next level goon squad from now on."

"Shut up! Okay? Just shut up." Ron dropped to his knees on a mat and closed his eyes. Shego respectfully walked away, with a barely noticeable limp, to sit down on the bleachers.

"Ronnie?" her voice showed the fear and anger I was feeling, _ no interfering... someone gets hurt if you do... calm down Kim..._

"I thought I told you two wonderful ladies to make like a banana and split." his eyes were open realizing that we had in fact _not_ left him to the wolves, _or she-wolf in this case_.

"How many times have you had my back, there's no way I'm leaving." I knew that I hadn't been actually watching the fight, _for fear I'd jump in_, but I was hoping that my presence would have the same effect on his fighting as his presence had on mine. _Besides, you are doing his normal job... defusing a potentially deadly bomb... Bonnie..._

Bonnie didn't say anything, but knelt behind him and started to lift his shirt, _getting frisky are we?..._ "Bon-Bon, no. It won't do any good to work out the knots now, besides I don't think I could stand to have anything touch my back right now." Her face took on a sign of understanding, "I'll let you put that stuff, whatever it is, on my back tonight while we're in Paris. I remember there's this really romantic cafe tucked out of the way, I saw it when KP and I were stopping Drakken from turning the Eiffel Tower into an over-sized Tesla coil. Or, I could call and have a couple seats saved at Buckingham, the chef's there are better than me." His humor was doing what he intended, Bonnie smiled a little and walked, still on her knees, around to face him.

"Don't be making me any promises you can't keep." their foreheads were leaning on each other and her arms were resting on his shoulders, "I'm not saying you won't win, because you better, I just highly doubt that there is a chef anywhere who is better than you."

I felt _really_ out of place standing there listening to their sweet talk, _especially when it should be **me**_, and was about to go find a seat on the bleachers again, _away from Shego... I might not control myself if I get within arms reach of her_. But before I got completely turned around a hand grabbed my ankle, "Where do you think you're going? Get down here," I hesitantly knelt beside the two love birds, "I told you you'd be the first one to find out. I just wasn't expecting it to happen like this." he started to laugh at his own joke, but had to stop because of the pain.

"You really could have told me sooner, it's no less of a shock now than it would have been yesterday or a week from now." _I wasn't trying to be rude... but come on, they seriously could have told me... I wouldn't have blown up... well, maybe a little..._

The look on his face told me he knew better, but before anybody got a chance to pursue it, "Okay. Timeout is over, time to let me clarify to you that what happened the other day was a one time occurrence."

"A one time occurrence that will happen on a regular basis." He grunted as he stood, "Wait that didn't make sense, did it? Let's see... A one time-"

"**Enough**! Quit stalling and get over here." _Shego's getting testy... wonder what crawled under her skin?... maybe Ron is more of a challenge than she was planning on..._

Bonnie grabbed my arm and pulled, "Get away or she might say you're trying to interfere." I nodded and followed her to the bleachers, _why am I not yelling at her?... she's the reason I'm not going out with Ron right now... but I can't blame her can I?... yes I can, she asked him out and knew that it would make me mad... _

"Are you using Ron?"

She started bawling and yelling, "How can you think that? I wish I was that heartless, then I wouldn't be feeling the pain and fear I am right now. I'm afraid that he's going to get hurt or worse, and I can't do anything about it, and there's you... You want him but you can't have him because of me, and I know that if you tried you could split us up and he'd be yours and there'd be nothing I could do to stop it because he's been your best friend forever and he'd never leave you, and I've always treated him like dirt, but he's been so nice to me, and giving me a chance to change, and..." her voice trailed off into sobs.

I was taken back a bit, but she did have a point, "Sorry, I've just got a lot going on in my head right now. I'm trying to find any reason, no matter how out there, that what I'm seeing isn't real."

"You really don't like me do you?"

"I like you about as much as you like me."

"As long as we agree on something." There was a brief silence, that in an attempt not to look at each other we looked towards the grudge match. _Big mistake_, we had turned just in time to see Ron take a hit in the spot on his back that she'd made contact with the other day, _no Kim... don't do it... he'll tap out when it's too much... you can't afford to let her light up and seriously do some damage_, "No." I heard Bonnie start to whimper as she buried her face in her hands.

I hesitated before I put my arm across her shoulders, she surprised me by leaning towards me but I knew she was venerable and needed someone to be there, "Shh, he's going to be fine. I just saw him get a shot in on her ribs." I was lying, I had adverted my gaze after seeing that last blow he took, but knowing he was still standing I knew he had to have laid a couple.

"Please don't take him away from me. You can do it, you know that don't you? All you have to do is say the words and he'd jump ship on me and be on board with you. I know I've never given you any reason not to do it, but please don't do that to me." _I wish I could..._

"Actually, I can't." she pulled back and looked me in the eyes, "I didn't know you were going out yesterday and I told him how I felt," she got stiff and fear started to well up in her eyes again, "don't worry, he told me he was already seeing someone, he said he couldn't say who it was. I tried without even knowing he was seeing someone and failed."

"He told you no because he's with me?" I nodded, _yeah he told me no because he's with you... and I really want to hate you right now... but for Ron's sake I can't... I have to make the peace..._ "I- I don't know what to say. I hoped he'd stay, but I figured that once you finally realized the two of you have liked each other since forever ago I'd be gone like yesterday's trash."

"Seriously, did _everybody_ know? I just realized this over the weekend, and it seems like everyone I talk to already knew. Even my mother knew." I saw something that I hadn't seen in a while, she smiled.

"It's kind of obvious from the time anybody meets you, but it's also an unspoken rule that no one is allowed to point it out." her smile faded as she looked back at the ground, "That's why I'm afraid, what if I'm just _the push you two needed_ to get together?"

"Once I found out Ron was going out with someone, I quit. I quit because it's not right to take him away from someone else just because I want him, I decided right then that I wouldn't do that to her." _really regretting that decision right now_, "And now that I know who _her_ is, I'm not changing my mind." _still debating... I know I won't, but it's tempting to try_, "Plus there's the fact that if he liked me all these years, he respected me enough not to beat the pulp out of any of my boyfriends, and considering what we've seen today, that would have been easy." she managed a short-lived knowing grin before I continued, "I still have my best friend, and I'm going to have to be happy with that." she wasn't smiling, but her face was showing her relief, "However, if you two ever do break up. I'm gonna be on him like cheese on nachos."

She laughed, "If we ever do break up, which I hope doesn't happen, I want to still be his friend. I know why you keep him around now, he's just Ron. There's no way to explain it, he can just brighten the day by being there." _trust me I know what you mean..._

"Knowing Ron, he'd have it no other way." _Which means I'm going to have to at least try and get along with you... at least get to a point where we aren't constantly at each other's throats... of course this just gives me another reason not to like her... now you have common ground to work from... yeah, we both like the same guy... what about you're both friends with Ron... _"And for Ron's sake, can we call a truce?"

"I was just thinking the same thing, we need to set aside our differences for a while. I'm not saying we need to be all buddy like, or that we actually have to become friends, but we can't constantly be attacking each other. Ronnie would be torn apart if we did, and I can't even think about causing him any more pain." _Wow, she's serious about this... you're just now figuring this out?... I'm dense once in a while, what can I say..._

"I think we're on the same page." Neither of us wanted to look towards the sounds of movement, the occasional grunt, and the constant banter; so, I had to ask, "Is he a good kisser?"

The look on Bonnie's face was priceless, and definitely worth it, "Are you seriously asking me whether my boyfriend, and your _best friend_, is a good kisser?" I just looked at her expectantly.

**Ron's POV**

"Come on is that all you've got? I'm pretty sure synthodrones are harder to beat." _what am I doing... how am I not dead or splattered against the floor..._ I had just managed to avoid another aerial assault, but was unable to counter fast enough, _again... one more day and I would have been almost completely healed... or at least able to keep up better than I am... who am I kidding, I'm toast either way... I'm just delaying the inevitable..._

"It's not like you're doing anything. I can count the times you've landed a solid blow on me in the last five minutes with one hand."

_Yeah, but those blows had to of hurt... and I can say the same for you... you haven't hit me that much... _I wasn't about to say that out loud though, instead I went for the comic distraction route, "Man you are a freak, no one should have _that_ many fingers."

"You are so going to pay for that Stoppable." as she lunged at me in a fury of fists. I managed to block, or deflect into non-affective hits, most of them, but the last one caught me trying to block another high swing and she pulled an uppercut into my jaw knocking me back a couple steps. Typically, _after watching her and KP go at it I knew her moves_, she would have given me half a second to gather myself, not today, she followed me into my stumble hoping to get an advantage. _She's getting desperate... I'm wearing her out... I don't have to 'beat' her... I just have to outlast her... I can do this..._

I instantaneously switched gears and saw the footwork she was using and forced my brain to recall every step, every movement that I'd seen her make while fighting Kim, _definite advantage to being the sidekick... you learn your enemy's moves and don't show any of your own_. I was going to win, and I was doing a good job at wearing her down too. "Quit running away and fight me! Or are you afraid of me?"

"I'm not running, last I checked I was still standing here. And as for being afraid of you, yeah, I'd be stupid not to be."

"You haven't even tried to take a shot at me in the last 20 minutes, why?"

I took a swing at her, which she easily dodged, "That's why, I can't get a hit in while you're expecting it. Patience is something you need to work on, Shego."

"So you're just going to dance around taking a beating until you think I'm not expecting it? Nice try, that would only work if I wasn't going to finish you before you had a chance to follow through."

"Big words, but if I remember correctly, in the same last 20 minutes you've landed, oh yeah, you haven't _landed_ a single attack."

"You're getting cocky, I like cocky, it causes mistakes."

"Not cocky, I know one slip and I'm ground beef. But you're going to have to earn that slip."

She let out a guttural yell and swiped at me with an open hand. I got away, barely, but my shirt wasn't so lucky. Her claws snagged and ripped it into an awkward form, "Not quite fast enough that time, you almost slipped."

"Almost, Shego, almost."

I saw her right foot turn, _okay she's going to lunge left but change directions half-way through and go right_, and just as I expected she lunged left, but she was too tired to change directions and in my attempt to move out of the way of her normal attack I ended up right in her path. _Oh man, this is gonna hurt..._ Her right hand was curled up and I could see it coming straight for my ribs, and her other hand was reaching out to make sure she pulled me down with her. It happened in slow motion for me, but I was still unable to compensate enough, her fist did make contact with her intended target and her free hand managed to grab my ragged shirt in attempt to pull me down with her as she went into a roll. Fortunately for me, the previous attack had weakened the structural integrity of my clothing and it went with her to the ground but didn't take me with it.

I heard two gasps from behind the dark haired woman crouching in front of me, _so much for secrets..._ "Did we have a wardrobe malfunction?" she said looking at the rags in her hand, then looking up she gasped a little, "Aren't you going to call a timeout and make an attempt to cover yourself?"

"What's the matter Shego, you want some Ronshine too?" _Oh God, if you exist... please let her say no..._

"As if, besides that would make this foreplay."

"Make what fore-" she cut me off with a sweep, taking my feet out from under me and straddling me. I couldn't pull back far enough to get a solid punch and I wasn't flexible enough to get my feet in a position to do anything useful, so I decided it was time to quit playing fair, I poked her in the ribs.

I've never seen Shego move so fast in my life, and I've never seen a grown woman blush like she did, _kinda weird considering she's green too_. "That was cheating, you are not allowed to do that from now on."

"What's the matter, is poor little Shego ticklish?" _quit while you're ahead Ron... just let it be_, but for some reason I didn't listen to the more intelligent part of my brain, "I'm going to have to tell KP, she'll have so much fun with that. Or even better, I could write in a letter to the editor of _Villains' Digest_, they always love a good inside scoop with all the juicy details about the top criminals."

"You wouldn't dare." came a snarling response. I didn't say anything, just stood there with a knowing grin. Then, if it is possible, she moved faster than before and had me pinned face first to the ground with my arm behind my back and one clawed finger lightly touching the middle of my back, not hurting me but as a warning, "As I was saying."

"You forgot one thing."

"And what might that be?"

I whispered, "Timeout."

Her jaw hit the ground, "No you can't call timeout, I have you pinned. You have to give in."

"Nope, your rules clearly stated that I can call a timeout any time that I deem necessary. I definitely think this qualifies as necessary." She didn't move for a second, "I could always have KP join in, or call GJ and make sure that you go back to the cell I put you in by accident the first time."

She finally let go, "This is two, only one more left then you're mine." She stalked off towards the fountain.

I again rolled to my knees and closed my eyes to shut out the pain and try to regain some strength. The smell of vanilla and strawberries slowly caught my attention, _okay time for the show... can't let them worry any more than they already are_, "Hey ladies, how you doing?"

"You're the one who's fighting with an evil mad woman, and you're asking us how we're doing? Ronnie, if I wasn't so worried right now, I'd probably hit you." I still hadn't opened my eyes, but the sounds were coming from right in front of me. I reached out slowly to find my girlfriend only to have her grab my hand and guide it to her waist as she laid her hands on my chest, the cool touch of her skin on my hot flesh sent a shiver down my spine.

"Ron, you have a fresh cut on your side. It looks like it already quit bleeding, when did she get you like that?" _she didn't... but I can't let them know that... I'm taking on Shego and I'm not in the mood for a 'stand up for yourself' lecture..._

I shrugged, "Must have been early on if it's already quit, I never noticed her get close to there." which was the truth, I was very protective of my side because of that cut.

There was a small movement in front of me, I felt her lean in just a bit as the scent of vanilla got stronger I felt her hair graze the side of my face and her head finally come to rest on my shoulder. "You don't have to do this, just go on the date with Kim. I don't want you to get hurt anymore."

"This fight has nothing to do with who I'm going on a date with tonight. It never was, that was just her ploy to get me to face her. I didn't need her to play games with me, I understand this is a battle of pride. I'm the loser sidekick and I put her away, granted it was completely by accident, but I still did it. Now, she's trying to regain her pride by winning a fair fight." my hands reach up and started stroking her hair, "If I quit too easy on her, she's just going to want another match. It's got nothing to do with good or bad anymore, she isn't here to intentionally put me in a hospital, she just wants me to submit to her in a fair fight. And I can't cheat her out of that, no matter how much it might hurt right now, it'll hurt less than if she ever found out I'd taken the easy route."

The other person present spoke up, "I know you're right Ron, she's always done the same when I face her. She just wants to know she's the best there is. And anybody who challenges that, she wants to beat. I should have stopped you the other day, I'm sorry this is my fault." _Why do women always take things wrong and blame themselves... there is no one to blame... things just happen..._

"Timeout is over, stud."

**Bonnie's POV**

_That **bitch**... why did she have to break out and attack my boyfriend... today of all days... I know we were gonna tell Kim tomorrow, but... Grrr, it's just frustrating... _

"Before we start this up again, can we add a new rule?" Ron had his hands held up in a sign of temporary truce.

"What would that be? I can't remove anymore of your clothing?" she didn't drop her defenses, but was holding back like a spring, ready to pop.

"Well, unless you're going to do the same, that too." he was just trying to get a raise out of her, and it worked.

"I think not, now what were you proposing, or should I just proceed to beat you now?"

"I wasn't proposing to you, I was going to suggest that if you don't want me to _cheat_ anymore, you don't make an effort to attack my back again. I'll even remove my threat of writing the editor."

She stood there thinking about it, "Seems fair, I don't take advantage of an obvious preexisting weakness, and you don't expose my embarrassing weakness to the evil world. Deal, now can we get this show on the road?"

Ron spread his legs a bit and did the cheesy _Matrix_ finger wave, "Waiting on you sweetheart." _he's trying to get himself killed..._

"I can't watch." I squeaked turning to Kim. Dragging her away from the fight in fear she'd break the rules and join I decided I'd that we needed to distract ourselves some more, "So when and how did you figure out that you liked my boyfriend?"

I don't think she was quite expecting that, in fact from the look on her face, I'm betting that was one of the last things she expected to hear from me. "I- Well- You see-," she stopped for a second to collect her thoughts into coherent words, "I think I finally admitted it to myself yesterday morning, but I'd been thinking about it ever since our mission on Friday. At first I was second guessing myself, I kept telling myself that I was on the rebound and jumping on the nearest warm body," I coughed, _excuse me!_, "Sorry, that sounded bad, but you know what I mean. I thought I was just feeling what I am because I was on the rebound, and Ron was the only guy around. But after a couple odd conversations I realized that I liked Ron and it's not a rebound. Then when I finally got the courage to tell him how I felt..."

"You found out he was already taken by some mysterious woman without a name?" I offered when her voice trailed off looking for the right words.

"That's one way to put it. Closer to the actual thoughts going through my head were something to the effect of, I want to rip her head off and give it to the Tweebs to use for experimentation." I was a scared until I realized that she was just messing with my head, not going to rip it off.

"Violent much?"

"Sorry, I overreacted a little, well okay, a LOT. But, this is Ron, my best friend since forever, the guy who tells me everything and who I tell everything, who has been there for me through thick and thin, and when I realize that I need him to be more than that..." she trailed off again, knowing that she'd made her point.

"I know you and Ron are close, a blind person with half a brain can see that, and I don't want to step in between you two as friends." _I hate to say it... but Ron wouldn't be the same without Kim_, "If things between you two change because of me, _us_, I want you to tell me." _I hope I'm not screwing myself right now_, "He's been your best friend and side kick..."

She interrupted, "Partner, but go on."

"..._Partner_ forever, and it wouldn't be right if I did something to mess that up for him, or you." _I hope that came out right_, "Besides, if he quits going on missions, who is gonna blow up the lair and save you when you bite off more than you can chew?" _he's rubbing off on me... what can I say?_

Kim apparently didn't see the humor in it from the look on her face, but she eventually cracked a smile, "You have been spending I _way_ too much time with Ron alone." I just smiled, _there is no such thing as too much Ronshine..._

We sat there for a minute not saying anything. I broke the silence, "On three do you wanna look?"

"How about you look and tell me if it's okay?"

"How about not?" I scoffed at the idea, "He's my boyfriend, and I don't think I should have to see him getting hurt anymore than I have to. Besides, how many times has he been there to watch you do the same thing he's doing right now?"

"But, because he's your boyfriend, you should want to know how he's doing, therefore you should look." we looked at each other, neither one really wanted to look but we both wanted to know how he was doing, "Okay, on three. One."

"Two." I followed her.

"Three." we both said it at the same time, and turned to face the guaranteed to be gruesome scene.

To our surprise, he was still up and looking no worse for wear, and Shego was looking worn out. Looking at her watch Kim said, "This is a long fight, most fights I'm in with her only last 10-15 minutes. Sometimes we go for an hour or two, but we don't usually have that much time before Ron decides to blow the lair up or Drakken's plan backfires. They're pushing two and a half hours."

It really didn't feel like that much time had passed since the green hued beauty strolled in and interrupted practice. "So, is that a good thing or a bad thing for Ron?"

"Ron is a procrastinator in every aspect, he keeps going at idle until it hits crunch time, then he usually pulls through. Shego typically uses the 'Wham, Bam, Please and Thank You' method, she doesn't have the stamina to last as long."

"I haven't seen Ron even try to hit her yet?" I was getting worried, I thought the idea was to hit your opponent, _unless he wants to go on that date with her_.

"He's not taking any either, he's conserving energy. He's not attacking, just dodging and blocking blows, it doesn't take as much work to do that. Probably waiting on an opening when she gets worn out and starts making mistakes." _I hope you're right... because if he throws this to go with you... Bonnie, calm down... this is Ron... he wouldn't do something like that to you... unless they planned this from the beginning... that's why Kim was asking me if I was using him to get to her... it's her guilty conscience getting to her... but what about Ron... he said he didn't hate you... but he could have lied, he does have more of a reason than anybody to pull something like that... What am I doing! This is Ron, **my boyfriend**... he's not trying to get to me... this isn't some scheme to get back at me_, "Bonnie, you don't look so good are you okay? Ron's still standing, and it doesn't look like he's in any worse shape than he was after his first fight with her."

I saw the concern in her eyes, something that couldn't be faked, _all these years getting my current status at the top haven't gone to waste completely... I've learned how to read people... it's second nature to me now_, "No, I'm just fine. Just worried how long he can last out there." _And now relieved to know you don't hate me **that** much_.

My eyes wandered back towards the fight, _train-wreck psychology... 'it's horrible and I don't want to watch, but I can't help it'_, to see Ron dodge a sloppy attack and see an opening as she stumbled past. He swept her legs out from under her and went to pin her, I saw a grin crawl across her face as she saw him moving out of the corner of her eye. I tried to yell and warn him, but as I drew a breath Shego's worn out movements got their snap back and caught him in the air (on his way to pin her down) and threw him to the wood floor with an echoing boom. He tried to bounce back up but she got on his neck with her knee and had his hands held back and off the floor making them useless.

With his face being pushed to the boards, distorted in pain and from the pressure her knee was pushing, he managed to groan, "I still have one more timeout you know?" Shego just looked frustrated and started to lift her knee off his neck. As she did he lashed out in a sudden roll, breaking her grip on his arms and causing her to step back, "But just cause I have it, doesn't mean I have to use it." _cheap... but effective_, "Now don't tell me you, the great Shego, fell for the whole 'I'm out of options' trick." _okay, cool it before she decides to make you pay for that low blow_, "What, got nothing sweetheart? You could always go with buffoon."

"You just don't know when to quit do you?"

"I've heard that one before, you use it on KP. And if I remember right, you usually loose to her." She didn't reply, rather she did a back flip, her foot catching him under the jaw and sending him our direction. Laying at Kim and I's feet he rubbed his jaw and said, "Was it something I said?" before returning to face her yet again.

His focus must have been a little bit off from that because her next volley of fists, knees, and feet hardly missed their targets, "Not so cocky now, are we?"

"Must have been something I said, I think you need to calm down a bit. Timeout." her fist stopped mid swing; holding it there it glowed green for a second then extinguished it as she dropped her hands to her side dejectedly.

"That was your last one, from now on you're mine." then she walked off towards the fountain to cool off, her fists flashing green several times on the way.

Kim was the first one up this time, dragging me with her, "Come on, you know this is going to be a short one. She wants to get it over with soon." _She's not the only one who wants this to be over._

"Hey KP," then turning to me, "Bon-Bon, you don't have to stay. I can see this is tearing you up. I'll walk out of here either way with a limp."

"I told you once, I'm not leaving you alone. I hope I don't have to say it again." _don't push me away... I'm a big girl, I can handle it... just because I let down my guard around you doesn't mean I'm weak._

"Bonnie, you can't say this isn't eating you, and it's okay to admit it." I turned to see her green eyes holding back a dam of salt water, "I'm scared too, I'm afraid my best friend is going to get hurt and it's going to be my fault because I didn't do my job and..."

She didn't get a chance to finish because a hand grabbed her knee and pulled, causing her to drop down with us, "Stop it! Okay, this is NOT your fault, quit blaming yourself." Ron snapped, not with anger, but frustration, "If you're scared I'm going to get hurt, well you're about 3 days late on that one. I did something I probably shouldn't have, and now it came back. This is no one's fault, well you could make a case that it's _hers_," pointing to Shego, "but even that would be a weak argument. Things just happen, you gotta make the best of it."

No one said anything as we knelt on the mats, my head on his bare shoulder in a hug of sorts, Kim beside him, and Ron with a protective arm around both of us. I finally managed to speak, "You realize this is backwards, don't you? We're supposed to be the ones comforting you, not the other way."

"She's got a point, you're here fighting a major player in the game of villainy and then we come over and you start to watch over us. What's with that?"

"I can't be okay unless the people I care about are okay, I guess I draw off of you. If you're happy, I'm happy." he was very matter-of-fact about it, _so he does have a serious side... not that I'm complaining about him... it's just kinda sweet how he has this whole other side to him... a side that I'm sure Kim has seen a time or two, but other than that_, I couldn't help but smile a little at the thoughts going through my head as I lifted my head back to make sure he didn't have any wounds that needed immediate attention.

Kim saw what I was doing and followed suit, then asked the question I knew would come up, and Ron wanted to avoid, "Where did all of these come from? I know they can't all be from missions, I know where you get hurt on missions., even when you try and hide it, I know There's probably twice as many as you should have."

"You wouldn't happen to believe me if I told you I was a klutz and fell a lot would you?" The fire in her glare rivaled Shego's hands. Knowing he had to tell the truth, Ron's eyes closed as he tried to figure out the best way to answer her question, "When I came out of the locker room, who was following me?"

It took her a second to recall what happened, "You can't tell me that they caused this, especially from what I've seen in the last two hours and 45 minutes." Obviously she caught on, and was about as happy as I was about it.

"Okay I won't tell you."

"Spill"

His eyes snapped open and met hers, "You just said not to?" then seeing her anger building, "Okay, okay. I can't fight them. I'm either on or off, no middle ground. You've been watching me today, have I stumbled once, tripped over myself, or lost my pants because of something stupid?" she shook her head, _I'm surprised he hasn't explained this to her before... oh yeah, he said he doesn't take off his shirt... this is one of his dark secrets_, "I can either fight like this or I'm the bumbling sid- _partner_ that draws attention and accidentally, and sometimes not so accidentally, blows stuff up. On missions, it's your job to take on the bad guys. If I feel you're in danger I turn on and... well I'm in the big leagues."

"That still doesn't answer my question, why don't you turn on when they attack you?" she was getting more frustrated by the second.

"Would you ever under any circumstances throw everything you had into beating Bonnie, before you found out I mean." she shook her head, "That's right, you know it wouldn't be fair and she'd get hurt, seriously." _thanks for the vote of confidence... but he's got a point... Kim could kick me to Upperton and back without trying_, "Now think what would happen to anybody in this school, minus you, who would still have full usage of their extremities if I allowed myself to do what I have done today to them."

The fire calmed down in the red-head, "Fine. But from now on, you and me are going to work on a middle ground." My boyfriend started to protest but was stopped short, "Unless you want me to be your bodyguard?"

"And I don't think you're going to have to worry about it for much longer, once this spreads," then under my breath I added, "along with a couple other things." _Brick, you better get the word out... or some of the more promiscuous girls in our school aren't going to like me..._

"Okay, Ronnikins. Break time is up, and break-you-time is here." _oh please... is that the best you can come up with Shego?_

I didn't say anything, I didn't think it would be a wise decision on my part if I did, but Ron did, "Wow, a new crack. Did you just come up with that, or did it take the entire timeout?"

Kim and I helped Ron to his feet, "Ron, don't antagonize her. It's like kicking a bee hive, never a good idea."

He just laughed at Kim, "It's okay, we're about done. She's getting tired, which means she'll either slip up, or..." he scratched the back of his head, "she steps it up another notch and catches a second wind. Either way, this is about done."

"Hello, I'm waiting. I'm really looking forward to that meal, I've heard so much about _Chef Stoppable_." She bent her knees and spread her legs into a fighting stance and waited.

"Coming sweetheart." then kissing me and Kim on the cheek he nudged us away and turned taking a similar pose as the raven haired woman 20 feet away had, "Well, ladies first."

This was all the invitation she needed, she took a few short steps then dropped into a slide to take out his feet. Fortunately, he saw and hopped just enough for her to go under him; unfortunately, she grabbed one of his feet causing him to land flat on his back with a resounding boom. "Had enough?" she asked as she slowly made it to her feet, "or do I have to hurt you?" _Ron, please... I don't know what I want you to do... I want you to quit so you don't get hurt... but I don't want her to come back because you quit on her... and I really wanted to spend this evening with you..._

He rolled to his feet with a grin, "I've had enough of your lame banter if that's what you meant, and if you weren't trying to hurt me before I might as well quit now." This time he went on the offensive, a couple open handed attacks at various places on her torso, most blocked by her amazing reflexes but a couple made contact in brutal ways. Shego stumbled back, bent over holding one of the places on her lower ribs that took the worst hit, Ron took the advantage to knock her legs out from under her and go for the pin.

I heard Shego whisper, "Not this time, buffoon." Just as he about had the cat in the bag, her foot intercepted his face. He was caught completely off guard and took the full brunt of it, "You fell for the same thing twice. It's over now." She calmly walked over to his body curled into the fetal position and put a hand on his shoulder and rolled him to his back, he didn't resist, I don't think he could at this point. "Are we through?" she asked with a hand on each shoulder in a weak pin, but knowing he wasn't going to fight she wasn't going to hurt him any more.

"I can't believe you're making me say this." she didn't move or say anything, but didn't let up either, "Fine, monkey's rule. Are you happy, you beat a sidekick, or I mean partner if KP can hear me?"

As she stood, she offered him a hand, _is she nuts?... well, they did say she was fair about stuff like this_, "I know why the guards are complaining now, you gave me an honest run for my money. We might have to do this sometime when we're both in top condition."

"Yeah, sometime. I'm thinking a week after the end of the world sounds like a great time."

"You never do know when to give up?" shaking her head as she walked towards the door, she stopped, "A couple things, it's 6 now. I'll pick you up at Princesses house in 30 minutes, don't make me come looking for you. And I'll collect on my meal later, you need to rest before you do too much." Ron's jaw hit the ground at her courtesy, seeing him she added, "What, do you think I'm evil or something?"

"Well, that was the idea I thought."

"Good money, great benefits, and I get to fight; that's why I do it." she shrugged and started to walk away, but again stopped, "Oh and Stoppable. If I ever hear of you getting beat by someone else, I would have to think that they are an even match for me and would have to put that to the test. So, am I going to be hearing about anyone beating Ron anytime soon?"

"You won't hear about it." her fists lit as he said it so he added quickly, "Okay, it won't happen. Put those things away, they scare me." Turning around pointing to his back.

She smiled knowingly, "Catch you later." and disappeared through double doors.

As click of the door broke the trance that had Kim and me rooted, we were both to Ron's side before his knees hit the ground as he collapsed. "Ronnie, it's okay we're here. Lean on us."

With an arm over each of our shoulders we made our way out of the gym, "Hey Bonnie, can we take your car. Walking is out of the question and I doubt the scooter would be a good idea."

"Yeah, let's get him home so he can clean up for your date." I tried not to put much venom into it, but he was about to go on a date with someone who he admittedly has feelings for, who is NOT me. No one said anything after that; I knew that I would only make things worse because I couldn't hold my tongue, Ron was too exhausted to say anything, and Kim, I assume, was so emotionally confused to know what to say.

On the way to his house Kim said, "Just go to my place, it will save time and he can clean up and change there. He's got a small collection of his clothes in the corner of my closet that has built up over the years." _he has clothes stored at her place?... that means he's probably slept there too... and will probably again... _

I didn't say anything, still afraid I'd say something I'd regret.

As the door opened, "Kimmie-cub you're okay, thank goodness. Wade called and told us Shego showed..." but Mr. Possible's voice trailed when he saw what Kim and I had between us. "Honey, I think you could be of use."

Mrs. Possible rounded to corner as Ron removed his arms from us and slowly made his way to the couch, he never sat down, just used it as a leaning post, _you could have used me_. "I need to clean up, she's gonna be here in 20 minutes. I gotta be ready or she's not going to be happy."

"Who's going to be here?" The older woman asked cautiously.

Her daughter answered when Ron stayed silent, "Shego, she's coming to pick Ron and me up. I don't know where we're going, or how late we're going to be. You have to ask her."

"You are NOT leaving this house with that woman." Mr. Possible said in a very stern 'this is how it's going to be' way.

Ron finally spoke up, "We don't have a choice. I lost, and for winning she is taking me and Kim out to eat somewhere, she wouldn't say where, and sometime when I'm feeling better, I have to cook for her." Both doctors in the room looked confused, "I don't know why or what her reasons are, I just know what is happening. I'm going to use the spare bathroom to clean up and change. Kim, you should probably change out of your uniform." she nodded and darted off to get ready. He started to walk back towards me, "Bon-Bon, I want you to stay here till we leave, I need to talk to you before this all happens." _no, don't break up with me... not because you are going on a date with her... you didn't have a choice in the matter... you didn't throw the fight..._ my only reaction was to nod and kiss him on the cheek before he made his way up the stairs.

Kim came back shortly, "Bonnie can we talk?" I looked up at her, but didn't say anything, "I know you don't have any reason to trust me, and I can think of a few you shouldn't. But, I need you to believe me that I won't do anything to get between you and Ron as a couple as long as you don't get between us as best friends. Shego may take us to the most romantic place in the world, but tonight is just me and a friend enjoying a meal at our worst enemy's expense. Okay?" _she's trying to smooth things over before hand?... got to give her credit for that... I just hope he feels the same..._

"I think I understand, I just hope that everyone involved feels the same way."

"They do." I spun to see Ron standing at the bottom of the stairs, cleaned up and looking nice, _he cleans up good... I can't wait till I can actually have a decent date with him_, "Don't worry I didn't hear everything, just from the part about the most romantic place in the world. You don't have anything to worry about, Kim and I know how to behave ourselves. I think this could be one of the least awk-weird positions we'll have been in." a cough from across the room caused Ron to stutter, "You know, nothing _too_ awkward, just a little. And this is going to be no big deal." _he's gonna have to explain that one sometime..._

I pulled him into a hug for just being the voice of reason and comfort, but had to loosen my grip when he groaned, "I'm sorry, didn't think about that." _that's the reason he's going on this damn date... how could you forget?_, "Well, you two have fun, but not too much fun. And rest tonight when you get home, we're going to need it tomorrow. I'm sure by now everybody has their own version of what happened, and I want people to know that I'm dating the guy who almost beat Shego." _maybe they'll quit doing stuff to him... both because he's with me, and because they'll have to know he can kick their collective hides..._

Ron was beaming with the knowledge I felt it was time to clear the air, that is until we heard a high-pitched whine in front of the house that slowly died. A few silent seconds later the sound of doom rang through the room.

_**Knock, Knock, Knock.**_

Mr. Possible was the only one to move, opening the door he said through a forced smile, "Shego, it's been a while." _probably not long enough though_, "Why don't you step it for a second, I need to clear some things up before you leave."

"Of course Dr. Possible, I understand you probably have some questions, and I'll do my best to answer them in a fashionable time, but the sooner we leave the sooner they'll be back."

"Well they're going to be back by her curfew, super villain forced or not, it's still technically a date. Her curfew on dates is 10 o'clock, not a minute later. The typical threat for tardiness is a one-way ticket on my next rocket doing deep space black hole research, however I doubt you are worried about little things like that. Instead, if they're not home on time, you get to watch the twins for a weekend while my wife and I take a vacation."

Shego's face was one of complete horror, "Yes sir, 10 o'clock it is." she motioned for my boyfriend and my new not-rival, _now I'm making up words like him_, to follow her. Then looking back at the male Dr. Possible asked, "I'm assuming that's Mountain Standard Time?"

"You have 3 hours and 26 minutes... now."

Shego looked at the clock on the wall, "Okay, let's get out of here kids. Princess, your chariot awaits, and Stoppable, you better be escorting her like a gentleman or the heat gets turned on." she lifted her hands but didn't light up.

Ron looked back down at me, "I'll see you tomorrow, you need to take your own advice and get some sleep. You look like... well you look beautiful, but you've been crying and you look exhausted too. You can pick me up here in the morning, and we can follow through with the rest of our plan as scheduled."

"Are you sure you want to walk from your place to here in the morning?"

He looked away for a second, but looked back before answering, "I'm going to sleep on the couch here," I started to protest, _you are **not** sleeping on Kim Possible's couch... not if I have anything to say about it_, but he cut me short, "please listen, my parents aren't home yet, I called while I was cleaning up, and I think it would be best if I had someone there to help me if I need anything tonight. And, I figure it'd be better for me to stay here with the Possible's than to have KP crash at my place. Mrs. Dr. P. is a great doctor and will be able to help me if I need anything, besides she's like a second mom." I accepted his reasoning, grudgingly but I went along with it, "Now, you be a wonderfully jealous girlfriend and stew about that wonderful meal I still owe you."

He kissed me on the tip of my nose and started to make his way for the door. As he stepped out of sight I thought, _you have no idea... Ron Stoppable, you have no idea..._


	8. Highs, Lows, and a Lot of In Between

A/N: Monique's last name is one I saw on another fic, I don't remember whose, so if it was yours thank you, and if you know whose it was please tell me so I can give credit where it's due.

I hope you enjoy Ron's stitch with the girls. Poor, poor, Ron, when will he learn?

I'm sorry about the delay in updating, I had to go out of town for a couple days (the only internet connection there is dial-up) and when I got back, COX (that's the actual name of my ISP) was having problems of some type.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible, if I did, I would be rich and my stories would be on TV rather than here.

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**Ron's POV**

"Ron, Ronald. You need to get up and get ready if you don't want to be late for school." _that's not Mom... who is trying to wak-... never mind, it's Mrs. Dr. P... close enough to mom..._

"Five more minutes." I had to try, _what good is it if you don't even try?_.

"You said that the last two times I tried to get you up, and I gave it too you then. Not this time, get up or I let Kimmie wake you with a cold glass of water." _she's tried to get me up already?... this is the first time I remember... and that's just not fair... cold water alarm clocks are evil... almost as evil as monkey's..._

"Okay, okay." I surrendered.

"Good, now I can go make breakfast." _Boo-yah... definite bonus to crashing here... yeah, crashing at KP's... who were we taking out yesterday again... Duff?... no... Monkey Fist?... no... Drakken?..._ Then I remembered everything that happened, _Shego..._

I made an attempt to move off the couch, that was a bad idea. In the mixture of stiffness, my natural clumsiness, and the blankets I was bundled in I found the shortest route to the floor with a thud. I thought about trying to get up,_ then thought about it some more_. With my head to the floor, I heard a set of footsteps approaching, "Ron, I said get up, not move from the couch to the floor. If you need help I'll help you up, you weren't moving the best yesterday, and I'm sure you're going to be in a lot more discomfort today." _why can't doctors ever just say pain?_

"Thanks Mrs. Dr. P, I think it'd be best. The Ron man isn't running at 100 percent today." _I doubt I will be for a couple days either..._

The older lady, _not old... but older_, helped me to Kim's room to find some clothes. KP was in her bathroom getting ready, so I just grabbed a set of stuff out of her closet and went to the guest bathroom to get ready. I took off the clothes I wore last night both on the 'date' and to sleep in, but before I put the shirt from my stash on, I caught a glance of myself in the mirror. I went over to it to see what the damage from my little sparring event was, and was surprised to find that I didn't have very many fresh afflictions, _one thing to be thankful for_. I only noticed 4 fresh cuts, one that happened before Shego even laid eyes on me and the other 3 from an open handed swipe that I didn't avoid fast enough. While I didn't have many new marks, what really caught my eye was the preexisting ones. I never paid much attention to them, I knew they were there, and I new they were just a testimony to my curse of not being _popular;_ it's not that I wanted to be popular, I could really care less, but being at the receiving end of years of beatings, _mixed with the fact I was facing upper mid-level henchmen on a regular basis_, really left a mark, _or at last count 23... including the fresh ones_.

I'm not sure how long I stood there just in my cargo pants thinking about the causes behind what I was seeing, but in my daze I missed hearing my best friend enter, "Thank you. I know I don't say it enough, but thank you."

Returning to reality I asked, "For what? I haven't done anything."

"For what? For everything... for not bailing when I told you how I feel, for getting my back all these years, for making sure I always got back up when I fell, for... just for being you, Ron." I wasn't sure what to say, I'm not used to taking compliments.

"I've always got your back, just like you've always got mine. We've always been there for each other, and I hope we always can be." Then I did something that I had never done, I embraced my best friend without any self-consciousness about my body. I'd done my best to hide it from her, I didn't want her to worry, but last night we revealed all those things we had been hiding from each other, _maybe Shego's little 'date' did serve a purpose_. After standing there just holding on to my lifeline for a while I saw the clock and said, "I should probably finish getting around, I'll be down in a minute."

She just nodded and disappeared, _I'd be lost without a friend like her... no, not a friend **like** her... I'd be lost without her..._ I shook my head clear and finished getting ready for what was promising to be an interesting day.

I wasn't quite as bad as I was after my first encounter with Shego, but moving around was still a task all to itself. I had just made it to the bottom of the stairs when there came a knock at the front door. "We'll..."

"...get it." the Tweebs said as they darted past me, _do they really need to move that fast around me?_

"Hello Bonnie. What..."

"...brings you here?" _they don't know yet... they were in their room when we got back from the school and I doubt Drs. Possible mentioned that we were going out..._

"I came by to talk to Kim and Ron for a while before we went to school."

"Boys, leave our guest alone. Bonnie, come in we were getting ready to have breakfast. Care to join?"

"Ron's already up and cooking? I didn't figure he'd be doing that for a couple days."

"No, I'm handy in the kitchen as well as in the OR. I take it from that question, he found out food isn't only the way to a man's heart?" she chuckled as Bonnie flushed.

As they stepped around the corner Bonnie saw me and said, "Breakfast _a la Stoppable_ is an artwork."

Everybody in the kitchen laughed a little, they seemed to agree with her statement. "Now quit flattering him, he might get a big head, then how's he going to fit in your little car Bonnie." I cast a glance at my best friend, who gave me that little innocent 'what?' look.

"I can't see Ron doing that, I mean he was so calm and in control when he got those royalties and the haircut. No, he wouldn't do anything of the sort." _this is not fair... my best friend **and** my girlfriend are ganging up on me... I need help..._

"Jim, Tim... Do you by chance know where that tape of KP is? You know, the one she doesn't want anybody to see?"

Their eyes lit up, "No Ron, we don't..."

"...know where it is." then one of them winked making sure Kim saw.

"Tweebs!"

"All's fair KP. Now all I need to do is find some home footage of Bon-Bon and I'd be set." I had a scheming smirk.

"You will never find it. If you think the _other_ stuff is hidden, there is no way short of a miracle that you will find anything on me." she sounded fairly certain of herself, but cautious at the same time.

"That sounds like a challenge, I might have to make a point to find something." then, with a bit of mischief in my voice, I added, "Maybe Tara knows something?" Her eyes were the size of platers at the thought of me finding out whatever it was she wanted to stay buried, _I'm not really going to go out of my way to find out... it's just fun to get a raise out of her..._

"Alright you three, I think it's time you found your way to school. And Bonnie, any friend of Kim and Ron's is welcome here any time. And after last nights discussion, good luck today, you're going to need it." Mrs. Dr. P. was in her _motherly advice_ mode. _I'm glad she's accepting this well... I wonder what they talked about after Kim and I left..._

On the way to school Kim asked what I had been thinking earlier, "So, how long did you stay and talk to Mom?"

Keeping her eyes straight ahead, pretending to be engrossed with the road, she said, "Oh, not very long. Just a little bit, you know to explain what was going on; me, Ron, dating, you, Ron, going on a date," _ouch, there was some venom there... I thought she understood that we didn't really have an option_, "Shego, Ron, the fight, and we talked a little about Ron."

I was confused, I don't know the first thing about how to understand girls, and I admit it. Kim on the other hand got it, because she giggled a little, "There seemed to be a trend. So did you find out anything interesting?"

"Only that she's thought what everybody else has since 2nd grade rather than 3rd." casting a playful glance at my best friend, and making me even more confused.

"No way. Why didn't she, or anybody tell me? Why didn't I know, for that matter?" Kim was getting flustered and I was deciding that I was never going to understand women.

"We talked about this, unspoken rule, not allowed." _enough with the cryptic stuff... why can't they speak in plain English?..._

Looking down, I saw I wasn't the only one completely lost in this conversation, "Don't worry Rufus, that's not English, they're speaking in high school girl talk. If you ever find a way to decode it, I think even Wade would have to bow down to your intelligence." My wise crack earned me a light slap on the arm, fortunately in a non-sensitive area.

Having Bonnie drive, we arrived at the school earlier than normal, leaving us with 20 minutes before the bell rang, sending us to our first rounds of inhumane torture. But no one in the car moved when Bonnie shut it off. "We're here." the beautiful chauffeur strained.

"Yeah, we're here." I was no less nervous than she was, _what is going to happen... what are people going to think?... am I going to be on the receiving end of glares or cheers?..._ Finally, after what the clock, _which had to be lying_, said was 2 minutes I said, "It's out of the frying pan for us."

"And into the fire." she finished for me. "It's a good thing you've already proven yourself to be plasma-proof, fire should be no problem." she added in a weak attempt to lighten the mood.

"Are you sure you want to do this today? I mean we could give Monique more time to set the scene and make things smoother." I looked at Kim, _I know she's trying to help... and I really want to take that offer... but we need to do this before the rumor mills shred any semblance of the truth to pieces..._

"Yes I'm sure, but that doesn't mean I'm not scared to death." _just don't pass out Ron... you can do this... all you have to do is walk in... with Bonnie, your girlfriend... a person that most people assume hates you..._ "Now, before I come to my senses and chicken out, let's go."

As I reached for my door handle, Bonnie's hand slipped from mine as we both got out, I was followed by Kim, _who graciously let me sit up front because of my current situation of physical well being._

We were halfway to the door when Bonnie said, "Oh no." Looking around to find the cause of this sudden distress, I saw none other than Brick Flagg pulling into the parking lot, _what a way to start the day_.

"Well, he was gonna find out sometime, it's not like we could tell the school but not him. He may be dumb but not _that_ dunb." _Well... maybe he is... I don't want to try..._

Both the girls gave a weak laugh, then KP reminded me, "Remember, you have to stick up for yourself. If you don't I do, and from what I hear, so will Bonnie in this case."

I didn't say anything, heck what could I say. We made it to the door without any interference, I got a dark look from across the lot when I glanced over my shoulder, but nothing was said or done, _yet_.

Inside was another story, we were met by Monique at the front door, "So it _is_ true? Ron, I didn't know you had it in you. And Bonnie, you got yourself a good man there, and seeing how he's my best friend's best friend, I have to warn you not to hurt him. Or you will think that little bout Ron had with Shego was childs' play."

"How do you know about that already?" It was on all of our minds but I got the words formed first.

"Well, Kim threw her Kimmunicator after talking with Wade, but it didn't fall in her bag. It landed where he could see what was going on, audio too, and recorded everything. This morning I heard that Shego had shown up from one of the cheerleaders, so I cracked into Kim's locker and had him send me the highlights, enough to know what happened. Sorry bout the loss, Ron, good effort though."

"How did you get into my locker?" Kim wasn't mad, really, just curiously agitated.

Monique smiled as she put a pin in her hair, "You don't think hanging out with a super spy girl hasn't worn off, do you?"

"Who cares how she got in. What are you going to do?" I felt her squeeze my hand a little tighter, I let go of her hand and put my arm around her. She seemed to agree that this was more comfortable and pulled in close,

Monique thought for a second then said, "First off, I gotta get the word out that you two are an item, and that it's for real. I assuming that it's real?" we both nodded, and she continued, "Then, I'm going to dispel any rumors that Ron is brainwashed or that you're under the influence of some type of mind control or blackmail. Other than that, I'm going to get to know my new friend, anybody Ron and Kim are willing to spend time with must be worth my time."

Bonnie's death grip on my waist subsided a little as our little group made our way to Kim's locker to talk to Wade. "See, what did I tell you. I got the connections to make it all right." _Please Monique... if I never ask for anything again, please help with this..._

"We'll see Mr. Connected. I hope you're right, but we'd be dumb to believe this is going to be easy." _I really want to be dumb... I want to believe this is going to be easy_, "This is going to shake the food chain to pieces."

_What!_ I let go of her and stepped back, "I thought the food chain didn't matter. I thought we were going to forget about the food chain. What happened to that?" I wasn't yelling, but very sternly making my opinion known.

"No that's not what I meant," she was grabbing my arm but I wasn't in the mood to touch her right then, "I'm not saying it matters to me. Why am I cursed with a big mouth? I _don't_ care, but some people _will_. And this will completely throw them off, and very possibly make some of them mad. I'm talking vicious, out to ruin somebody, smear them and everyone associated with them mad. I don't, if I did I wouldn't be here right now." _she's got a point..._

Before I could tell her I was overreacting, a hand from behind me on my shoulder caught my attention. Spinning to face the owner I came eye to chest with, _why me?_, Brick. "Are you the reason Bonnie is upset right now?" he cracked his knuckles and I gulped, "I think you'd better leave her alone. Come on Bonnie." still glaring at me he reached over and grabbed Bonnie's forearm and started to lead her away, _bad idea... don't touch her..._

"Let go of her." he froze, but didn't turn back, "Maybe I didn't say it loud enough to get through your helmet, but I said: let go of her!"

"Are you really that desperate for a beating?" he had let go of her and was now facing me.

I saw her get to Kim and Monique, with Wade on the screen, "Wow Brick I'm impressed, you used a three syllable word, _correctly_." then I made a scene to get people's attention, "Mark the day on a calender folks, Brick learned a big kid word."

Typically, he wouldn't swing at me in public, he'd wait till he caught me in a bathroom or locker room. Not this time, his fist was on a one-way course to the side of my face. I saw the looks I was getting from KP's locker, _crap I can't just take it this time_. So I ducked, I felt his hand ruffle some of the hair on my head because I hadn't even planned on moving till it was almost too late. The look on his face was worth it though, he'd never seen me move like that and definitely wasn't expecting it right then.

"Leave him alone Brick!" Bonnie was trying to avoid a confrontation, _thank goodness someone is going to be a voice of reason_, "Ron could kick your dense butt all over the school and back." _never mind..._

"Please, this scrawny loser?" he laughed out, "Besides why are you hanging around here anyways?"_ well, here is the spark for his fuse..._

"Is she not allowed to hangout with her BF?" Monique spoke before Bonnie could answer.

"And her BF's friends?" Kim added, _oh sure... make him in an even **better** mood... I can hear the hiss of his mental fuse disappearing..._

"What do you mean, BF?" _are you really that dumb?... I mean, yeah, sometimes Monique's letter's are hard to understand... but come on... BF?..._

"_Boy-Friend_, Brick. You know, that thing you were till I got smart and dumped you," _way to go Bon-Bon_, "Now I have a real man." _and then you go and do that... trying to get me hurt..._

He looked at me then back at her, "You mean, you're dating this?" as he pointed towards me in disgust.

"People, I think we need to make a holiday, Brick used a big word _and_ figured something out on his own." _Monique, as much as I like your sarcasm... I could really do without it right now..._

He turned back towards me, "Well, let's see if she still wants to go out with you once she figures out you're not only a loser, but a weak loser. One who gets beat up by me." _Boom..._

"Please don't do this Brick? I don't think you want to do this right now." _and I really don't want to do this right now_, "I don't want to cause any problems. Some one might get hurt."_ and unfortunately it can't be me... okay that's kinda twisted... I almost sound like I want to get hurt... I don't, but I really don't want to hurt you either..._

Under his breath he said to me, "Don't worry, you will. This is going to be just like every other time. Only this time it'll be in front of an audience." _yeah, and audience that won't let me **not** fight you..._

He dove to form tackle me, the same as he always does: tackle me, pin me down, then proceed to beat/kick me on the ground. Only this time I wasn't still standing there when he got there, I was behind him after a quick flip over him. _Okay, same mentality as with Shego... just wear him out... he'll give up... go into wear-out mode... sidestep, dodge, flip, dive, whatever I have to._ He was back on his feet staring at me in shock, but it didn't last long. Deciding that diving blindly was out of the question, he started running towards me with his right fist cocked back like a gun, _a big pain causing .50 caliber rifle_, ready to hit me when he got within arms reach. _If he could hit me, _I chuckled inwardly at the thought.

"Ron, don't make _her_ come back to this school." Kim reminded me of Shego's promise, _crap, if I don't fight him Shego will... and I doubt she'll hold back at all... add another reason I have to do this... why me?... oh yeah, I was forced to work with Bonnie against my will, then I decided to get mouthy with Shego, after which I started dating Bon-Bon, and finally Shego wanted a rematch..._

Out of instinct I deflected his blow and sidestepped as I swept his feet out from under him, _sweet he's mine now... just a quick foot to his head to end this... and I'm doing this while sore from last night... almost too easy_. I was turning around to finish the maneuver that I'd used many times on henchmen, that would leave him in an unconscious heap on the floor, but forced myself to stop, _no... you can't do that... why he'd do it to you... he doesn't stand a fighting chance... he doesn't give you a chance when he thinks he's better than you... stop right now... don't do it... come one, it'll be quick and easy... just one short movement and he'll never bother you again... but it's not right... neither is what he's done to you in the past... _

Bonnie apparently saw the conflict in my face, "It's okay Ronnie, you can control yourself. Find that happy medium, I know you can do it." I decided right then that she had to be magic, because her words worked like a spell to calm me down and help me focus on doing what was necessary, _don't attack him... defense only... I can do this..._

Brick, at being taken down, was furious and thought that attacking the cause of him being on the floor was a good idea. He took a boxing stance we'd learned in PE and started to dance towards me, _is he serious?_, he took several jabs, swings, and uppercuts at me. All of which I either dodged or blocked with ease even being stiff and slow from yesterday's encounter, _I'm pretty sure Dr. D himself is a better fighter..._

He wasn't getting tired of trying to hurt me, in fact the longer he went without hitting me, the madder I think he got. Then a sound that usually chills me to the bones echoed through the halls, "STOPPABLE! FLAGG! My office, now!" _thank goodness for good old Mr. Barkin..._

Considering I was sitting in the chair next to the guy who was just trying to turn my face into a work of art, I was pretty calm. I had just prevented myself from getting cremated and I hadn't hurt anybody in the process. And the little peck on the cheek I got walking past the girls was making me all warm and fuzzy inside. Unfortunately for me that warm fuzzy feeling was showing on my face, "Wipe that grin off your face, you're here because you were involved in a fight." I straightened my face out, but I was still smiling inside, _I just had a beautiful girl kiss me like I was her hero... I might have to do this more often_, but that though quickly vanished when he continued, "Now, which one of you wants to go first? No takers, okay. Ronald, why were you fighting with Mr. Flagg right back there?"

"To be honest, sir, I wasn't fighting him. I wanted to but I didn't." _I really didn't want to in the beginning... but it felt so good to lay the smack down on him for once... I almost didn't stop... he's- no I'm- no **we're** lucky Bonnie was there to calm me down... he'd probably never play football again, if he walked... and I'd be locked away for a few years on assault charges... curses of being trained to fight and being 18..._

"Yeah, if we would have been..." the meat head beside me started.

"That's enough from you Brick, you'll get your chance to speak when Mr. Stoppable is done." he said sternly, then turning back to me, "Now, if you weren't fighting, what would you call what you were doing?"

"Honing my hand to hand combat defensive skills, sir?" I was trying to squeeze by on a technicality, and when he didn't stop me I continued, "I never took a swing, well unless you count when I took his legs out from under him. But that wasn't an offensive move, it was more of a 'let his momentum carry him to the floor and away from me' type thing." I cocked an eyebrow, hoping he would accept it.

He didn't flinch, but stared at me for a second, "So, you were _innocently_ standing there and Mr. Flagg, _unprovoked_, attacked you and you just defended yourself without causing so much as a scratch on him?"

I looked over at Brick, "I don't see any marks, and I know I didn't cause any that wouldn't be visible. So yeah, you basically hit the nail on the head."

Barkin turned towards the quiet football player, "Is there anything you would like to add or challenge about his testimony?"

"Only that it wasn't unprovoked, he started it by upsetting Bonnie. I was just trying to get her away from him when he get in my face." his story appeared flimsy at best, even to someone who wasn't there.

"Would the three young ladies, _including_ Ms. Rockwaller, and, if I remember correctly, the young computer genius who witnessed the scene agree with your story?" _Go Mr. B... I never doubted you... Boo-Yah..._

"Bonnie should, but I doubt the other three will, they were at the locker and couldn't have heard what was going on until things got started." _dude, I think you got hit in the head one too many times... they were all there and saw what happened... and Bonnie is my girlfriend, I'm pretty sure she'll agree with me... besides you grabbed her, not a wise decision..._ I felt my anger starting to return so I derailed that train of thought and focused on the present.

Instead of speaking to either of us he pressed the button on the box beside his desk, "Will Bonnie Rockwaller, Kim Possible and Monique Jenkins please report to the office."

There was silence in the small office as we waited, I knew that my case was going to be made for me at the arrival of the three people he'd just called in, Brick was sweating bullets in anticipation. All the while, Barkin just sat there watching the two of us, almost as if he were trying to get inside our heads, _go for it... I got nothing to hide... well, nothing about today at least... well maybe that kiss, but you didn't see it..._

_**Knock, knock**_

Mr. Barkin stood, "Come in, I'm assuming you can guess why I called you in here. You were witnesses to the incident that occurred in the hallway this morning, I want to hear from you what happened to see if these two are telling the truth."

Kim spoke up first, "You see-" but was cut off by a large hand being raised from the far side of the desk.

"Please, I trust you Ms. Possible. However, I would like to hear Ms. Rockwaller's view of things." He looked at her, "Would you care to share what you saw happen?"

"Well, Ron and I were walking with Kim and Monique to Kim's locker-" she was stopped right then by the same hand that stopped Kim.

"Are you telling me you were willingly associating with Ron and Kim?" he looked slightly confused at the idea, _is it that hard to get your mind around... yeah we didn't always get along in the past... but come on..._

"Why would I not be associating with them?" she snapped in a way that said there shouldn't be any questions about it, _I swear she's the only person who can snap at that man and get away with it_, then continued, "As I was saying, we were walking to Kim's locker when Ron and I had a misunderstanding in which I was upset and talking loudly, when _Brick_," she spat his name out like it tasted bad, "tried to drag me away from Ron physically. Ron told him to let go of me, twice. Which he did, but he got mad and started threatening Ron." I glanced at Barkin and Brick, Barkin was taking things in and Brick looked like he was trying to sink through the floor, "Ron warned him not to do anything, and said he didn't want anyone to get hurt. But, Brick didn't listen and attacked him. Ron just avoided the dive, Brick didn't get the hint and went after him again. This time Ron dropped Brick to the ground and had ample time and opportunity to hurt Brick, but didn't. When Brick go up off the ground, he came back for round three. Which is where things were when you got there, Brick was trying to use the boxing you'd taught us and Ron was keeping himself from being on the receiving end of any of the blows, but never returned any."

I was surprised at the detail and the pride she said that with, _she's proud of me... Boo-yah... who's got it going on?... that's right... the Ron-man..._ "Possible, would you agree with what Miss Rockwaller just said, or is there something you would like to add?"

"No, I think she said everything that happened, but I want to add that Brick is lucky he didn't get hurt, especially after what Bonnie and I saw yesterday." he gave her an inquisitive look, _you didn't have to bring that up... I don't want to brag about it... besides, I did lose_, "Oh yeah, you don't know yet. Yesterday during cheer practice we were interrupted by Shego, who was there for the sole purpose of fighting Ron. You see Ron was the one who stopped her and Drakken last Friday, and she wanted a rematch, so to speak. We were threatened if we called the authorities, so we didn't. It was a good fight and Ron held his own for a long time, but in the end got beat. But, from what I saw there, Brick would be in a wheelchair if Ron was trying to hurt him."

The large vice-principal sat there taking in what he'd just been told. "Mr. Barkin, may I speak?" Monique piped in, he nodded, "Thanks, I want to say that Bonnie had everything perfect, but there's another witness who I think can speak better than any of us in this room can." She reached over and, much to everyone's surprise, picked the Kimmunicator out of Kim's bag and pressed the button to call Wade, "Can you show me the recording from when we were talking earlier at Kim's locker?" Then handing the device to the ex-military man sitting across the desk she said, "You see, Wade records _everything_ that happens on one of his cameras, and it just happens that he was giving Kim an update on some things when this started."

Mr. Barkin watched as the display replayed the events starting at the point where Brick put his hand on my shoulder to the time the recorded voice of the man watching it came booming through the little speakers. Handing it back to Kim, he turned to me, "I have to give you credit Ron, that was impressive. You were able to prevent yourself from getting hurt, while keeping other people out of harms way, _and_ you never took the offensive and injured your fellow student, that's some self-restraint." then looking at everyone in the room individually, his gaze finally fell on his target, "As for you, because you never technically hit Ron I can't expel you. However, I can, and will, give you two days of in school suspension and a week of detention. Now everyone out, tell your teachers you were with me, they'll excuse you." We all started to leave, "Ron, please stay for a second. I would like to talk to you alone for a minute." _what did I do?..._

**Bonnie's POV**

I wasn't sure whether to be happy or freaked about how the day started. On one hand, Ron just proved that he could control himself, _even if he needed a little cheerleading_, and that he really does care for me. No one is going to question whether we're serious at least, not many people would stand up to and fight Brick if it wasn't serious, heck I'm sure there aren't many who would stand up to him if it _was_ serious. On the other, Ron just about kicked the crap out of one of the biggest guys in our school without breaking a sweat, and he's got to be sore from yesterday's fiasco. The idea that Ron was able to hide something that big makes me wonder what else he's capable of hiding.

The first hour of class seemed to take an eternity, but finally Father Time released his death grip on my life and allowed the bell to ring. I all but ran towards Ron's locker, only to find he wasn't there. Kim saw me and laughed, _don't you laugh at me... I won this time... not that it was a competition... but Ron's mine... stay away_, "Looking for Ron?" I gave her a look to ask if there was any question, "You might go check by your locker, he was already here and gone." I nodded thanks, not trusting myself not to lip off if I spoke, and started towards my hall, "You deserve some credit, Bonnie." I turned back to see the red-head struggling to finish her thought, "I'm not sure he would have stopped if you hadn't said something." _that had to hurt for her to say... I guess she's willing to give me a chance too... still have to make sure she doesn't try and make a move on Ron..._

I was slightly disappointed not to find Ron at my locker, _I wonder where he went?_ Kim seemed certain that he was going to be here, _unless she lied... why would she?... to get me away from Ron... maybe he really hadn't been to his locker yet and she just wanted to make it look like I was too good to come see him between classes... I can't believe she'd stoop that low... I doubt I would have dropped to **that** level, even when I was a Queen B... how do people not see through that front... she's no better than I am, or was, or am trying not to be... oh, headache... too much thinking mixed with anger equals feeling of an ax embedded in skull..._

The next couple hours drug on, I was worried about Ron, hoping he didn't think I was avoiding him. Then there was the constant thoughts about Kim trying to split us up, _that back-stabbing, ill-tempered, freak of nature... I can't believe she'd try and break up her best friend_, even thought she said she wouldn't; and on top of that, it seemed like everywhere I went everyone was asking me if Ron and I were going out and about the fights he'd been in. Well, almost everyone, my best friend, Tara, hadn't asked a single thing. She seemed to be basking in the Sun of some unknown knowledge every time I ran into her; I didn't ask and she didn't offer, _and the more I think about it, the more I think I don't want to know_.

I opened my locker to grab my books for the class that I can officially call my favorite class, _not my favorite subject... but definitely my favorite class_, to find Rufus standing there at attention. His beady eyes lit up a little as he greeted me, "Bon-Bon!" _dang that little guy grows on you fast... don't get me wrong, he's still a little creepy... but I think I could get used to him_, Then changing tones he said, "Ron," he sounded disappointed as he hit himself on the head a couple times.

"Okay, let's try this again. I'm still learning how to understand you." broken English mixed with charade style sign language isn't as easy to understand as you think.

Exasperated he tried again, "Ron," and he hit himself on the head again, this time he added, "Me bad." then hung his head like he was ashamed or disappointed.

"Ron's beating himself up?" I thought his head was going to fall off as hard as he was nodding, "He thinks he did something wrong?" with a little less enthusiasm he nodded again. "Do you know why?" this time he looked down and shrugged in a sign of defeat, _he doesn't know... Ron's got something bothering him and Rufus doesn't know what to do..._ "Well, why don't we go to class and see if we can cheer him up. Clear those clouds away so I can get some Ronshine." Rufus just shook his head and crawled into one of the pockets on my bag.

When I got to class it was the same scene as yesterday, there was only one seat open, and it was beside Ron. _Only today people know it won't bother you... in fact it might bother you if someone else was sitting there..._ I could also see that Rufus was right, Ron looked really down about something, _if this has anything to do with not being at his locker... I'm gonna beat Kim... she may be a better fighter, but I'll play dirty... hair pulling and all if I have to..._ "Is this one taken?" the sound of my voice snapped him out of his trance, and his goofy grin spread across his face, _don't do that... you're lying when you do that..._

"Actually I was saving it for someone." _what?... I'm definitely gonna kick h-,_ "I was saving it for a beautiful young woman. You might know her, she's a little shorter than me, has brown hair that's the same color as yours, and you can't forget that great smile," then with a little bigger grin, "plus she looks amazing in a Middleton cheer uniform."

I felt my face get warm as I played along, "Well can I sit here and keep her seat warm until she shows up?" He patted the seat, "Why thank you, good sir."

Mr. Barkin wasted no time after the bell to begin, he reminded us that we had a week and a day till our projects were due and the weather last week is no excuse for an extension because he's going to give us today to work on them in class. _That's okay, because we really couldn't have used that excuse anyways... we were sort of stuck together... forced to work on that dumb paper... that I owe a lot to... I might just have to keep a copy for nostalgia purposes..._

Ron started to get his stuff out of his bag and lay it on the table in front of us, not saying a word in protest. "Okay Ron, spill." I was getting tired of his facade, and I know he didn't really want to work on the project, he just wanted something to keep his mind busy. He looked at me with a blank expression, "Listen, I know something is up, especially when a certain naked mole rat shows up in my locker to tell me that my boyfriend is beating himself up about something. Now again, I say spill."

He reached for his pocket then looked around to see Rufus pull his head back into my bag, "It's no big."

I wasn't going to take it, "Are you trying to lie to me or convince yourself? You didn't even notice he was gone, something is on your mind."

"We should be working on Barkin's assignment." and turned back to the papers he's spread out.

Now typically I would have agreed, I hate the idea of not having homework left undone, but we had worked on it for two solid days practically and were well ahead of the game, "You're going to procrastinate all you want, but we are going to have this conversation." he stared in the direction of the report setting in front of him, but I think he was looking right on through, "If this is about not seeing you at your locker, I can explain that." _and you're not going to like why_.

He turned his head away from me, like he was trying to hide his face, "Let me guess, you showed up at my locker and KP told you I'd already been there and gone?" _he already figured it out... I guess it doesn't take a rocket scientist... her ass is grass_, "She was right," _say what?_, "I did show up and leave quickly, I needed time to sort some things out. I'm still trying to convince myself, but it's not working." _okay, so what I'm getting is Kim didn't lie to me... so that means I overreacted, again!... I really need to work on that... I can't blame Kim for everything..._

"And you complain that Kim and I were talking in a foreign language, would you mind trying that in English. Then, maybe I can help you. I thought that's what part of being in a relationship was about, helping each other through the rough spots."

For the first time since I showed up he looked me in the eyes, it scared me, he was so full of fear and anger, "You really want to know?" _I asked didn't I?_, instead of making things worse I nodded, encouraging him to continue, "I really wanted to hurt him. Not just humiliate him so he wouldn't bother me again, no, I wanted to cause him serious pain for grabbing you like he did. After I dropped him to the ground, I was going to do something to him that I do to trained guards on missions, I was going to drop my foot into his face breaking his nose and more than likely knocking him out. I hoped that it wouldn't so he could get up again and I could really do some damage. Every thought from simply breaking a finger or smashing his nose again, right up to snapping his knees backwards has crossed my mind. If you hadn't been there to stop me..." he shuddered and let his head fall to his hands.

He was staring at the floor, _you're beating yourself up because you wanted to beat the tar out of Brick?... you should be happy that you finally grew a spine and stuck up to him... _ "Ron, it's okay. You may have wanted to, but you _didn't_, and that's what matters. If I got down on myself for every bad thing I wanted to do but didn't I'd be a wreck," _like just five minutes ago, I was going to kill Kim_, "you controlled yourself which is more than I can say for me if I was in your shoes. He has been on your case for years, and then he grabbed me, and it all came to a breaking point. Plus, it's kind of sweet how you stuck up for me." his head finally lifted when I said that, "I mean, how many people do you know that would stand up to Brick for their girlfriend?"

"Not many, but then again, not many people _can_ stand up to Brick. I'm just a bad person for wanting to do what I did, I shouldn't want to hurt people, I'm one of the good guys remember?"

"Yeah you are, and you proved that today. Someone I hope you care about was, from your point of view, being hurt and you went to their rescue. Then you faced the temptation to turn Brick, your high school nemesis, into a bloody pool in the hallway and you overcame it. That in my book is a good guy, one I am proud to be going out with."

He smiled at me, "Thanks." Then looking back at the papers he'd spread out, "You were right we're far enough ahead we don't need to work on this today."

As he started to put things back, I laid my hand on his, "Since you got it out, and I pulled you out of your trip down self pity lane, why don't we go ahead and work on it."

"But you said we were far enough..."

"And you, about five minutes ago, said you wanted to get this thing done. And the way I see it, since we are so close to being done, we might finish today, or at least get really close to finished, then for the next week all that time we would be working on this we can spend doing more enjoyable things together." I was trying to appeal to his basic instincts.

And from the reaction I got I'd say it worked, "What are we waiting for? I mean, with as much of a head start as we have, we should be done in no time." he was fumbling around in his bag trying to get anything we might need that he missed the first time around.

"Easy there, I thought you like to procrastinate?" it's not like I didn't want to get the project done,_ trust me I did_, but seeing him that eager to do something was new, _and I think I like this drive he's showing..._

"I'll procrastinate later," then thinking about what he'd just said he added, "See I'm procrastinating being a procrastinator." _now how do you argue with logic like that... simple, you don't..._

We were quickly in the swing of things, having a few hours logged already on this project we both knew where we were going with this and what we would need, which also meant there wouldn't be much need for us to talk. I was starting to get a little bummed about having to write this dumb paper, _that I owe a lot to... I might just have to keep a copy for nostalgia purposes_, when I felt his calloused hand ease around my waste and find my fix itself to my left hip, _his hands may be rough... but I like it... they have character... and now I sound all sappy... crap, when did I become sappy?..._ I moved my chair a little closer so he didn't have to reach as far, and saw Rufus roll his eyes and retreat to his hiding spot.

"Ms. Rockwaller, would you mind explaining this?" I'd been so absorbed in trying to get this part of the paper wrote down right that I'd missed the approach of our teacher. I felt the hand on my hip slowly retreat as I looked up, and saw that from his standpoint he couldn't have seen Ron's arm, _which means you can put it back, Ron..._ Instead, he was standing on the other side of the tall table holding a stack of papers, "Your report is about done while most of the other students are barely started, and you have Ron as a partner. Now I'm not accusing you of being stupid Stoppable, but you do tend to put things off. So Bonnie, I want to know if this is a team effort or if you're just doing the report because you can't stand to wait." _this is going to blow his mind... and I'm going to enjoy doing it..._ I cast a devious glance towards Ron.

"Actually, it took some convincing, but I got Ronnie here to work on it before the day it's due. Plus there's the whole having basically two days that we were locked in a house alone together without much to do besides work on this, so we got a lot done then. And besides, if we're working on this we can't really be spending _quality_ time together, now can we?" I peeked a look out of the corner of my eye, _mission accomplished_, Ron was staring in disbelief. Then taking a wandering look around the now silent room, I realized that everyone had been listening to me, _take a picture it'll last longer... why are you staring at me... I finally find a decent guy and everyone thinks I'm a freak... _I wanted to scream something to the effect of, _he's not a loser and get a life,_ but thought it might be a little rash.

Taken back a little, Mr. Barkin cleared his throat, _yeah that's right... step off_, "Then I have to say keep up the good work. Just try not to distract him too much, I don't want to see you two waiting until the last minute to finish what little you have left because you were spending _quality_ time with each other." I saw the look in the older man's eye that let me know he saw Ron's arm,_ good... at least he'll stay off our backs about that..._

As soon as he was out of ear-shot I turned to the amazing man sitting next to me, "That hand had better be going back to where it was," he looked at me then cast his gaze up front for a second before returning with a look of concern, "Don't worry about the big scary man, you have an adorable young woman sitting here that can be so much scarier if she needs to."

As his hand returned to it's rightful place, _see the world is all better now_, he said, "I'm more scared of you than I am of Shego walking through that door right now." The door just happened to be opening right then, and I thought Ron was going to have a heart attack. He finally started breathing again when he saw it was just someone coming back from the restroom.

"Nervous much?"

He didn't have time to respond when the bell rang, he was left with his mouth open and the words he was going to say stuck in his throat. I saw my new favorite teacher, _well maybe not my favorite... just one I like now_, step through the door to play eagle eye on the cafeteria and I took full advantage of his absence. I got nose to nose with Ron, playing it slow and trying to make him beg for it; and it would have worked if he hadn't decided to grow a spine right then and pulled me to him those last couple of inches. _I thought I was the dominant one in this relationship?_, but that thought interrupted when just as I was starting to return the kiss, he broke it off with a goofy grin, _hey, I was enjoying that_, "I'll see you at lunch?" he started to stand, "Or are you gonna sit w/ Tara and them, you don't want to forget them because of the Ron-man?"

"You could sit with me?" _then I'd get the best of both worlds..._

"I can't really bail on KP, Monique, and Felix... Hmm, there's a big word that works here: cannon-drum?"

I knew he was just playing, _two can play_, "Conundrum, I'm pretty sure the word you're looking for is conundrum. It looks like you might actually learn something today, the school system hasn't failed altogether." I was mock cheering and applauding.

"No, no, no, it can't be... I can't learn anything at school, it's in prophesy, the end is near." his overdone drama was enough to make me and the few people who were still in the room gathering their books to laugh.

"Here I'll make you a deal, we eat with Kim and them, and when we're done eating we go talk with Tara and the people I usually hang out with. Deal?" _I think it's a fair idea... plus Kim and them are a little more used to his table manners than a table of cheerleaders would be... I still have **some** image to uphold..._

A loud grumble caused him to quickly finish packing up our stuff, "Sounds good to me, let's just get there."

"Yeah. Hungry." I looked down to see a head sticking out of Ron's pocket.

Picking him out and letting him sit on my shoulder I said, "Is the little black hole ever satisfied?"

"Rufus? Naw, he eats almost as much as I do." then hearing a little grunt and seeing the pink rat cross his arms, Ron added, "Okay, sometimes he eats more. Are you happy Rufus?" The smile and nods that looked like his head was going to fall off were the only responses.

"Then let's go feed my growing boy, and his little rat too."

Lunch was interesting to say the least. Ron's table manners were almost perfect, and while I hadn't seen him eat in a while except from a distance, the looks on the other three people's faces were enough to tell me that this is a rare occasion at best. About halfway through _la goop de gray _he noticed that they were staring, "What, do I have something on my face?"

He started to reach for his napkin when Felix finally spoke, "I didn't believe it till now," then turning to me, "I don't know how you do it, but I'm impressed that someone can affect him like that."

"Hey! I may be a mess usually, but give me a break, I do know proper table manners. Besides this is the first meal me and Bonnie have ate together since we officially started going out."

I was taken back both by the fact he had remembered or thought about this being our first official meal as a couple and the thought that he was giving me special treatment, "So does that mean this is a one time deal?"

Even with his mouth half full he spoke clearly, "No, that's not what I meant, I just wanted to try and impress you..." he'd started out fairly vocal but his voice trailed off to almost nonexistent quickly.

"That's more like the Ron we know and tolerate." the only other male at the table jabbed. Ron didn't say anything, but Rufus blew a raspberry in his direction receiving a chuckle from around the table.

_Sweet... unnecessary, but sweet_, "I asked for the whole package, warts and all. You don't have to change for me."

"Girl, you better just stop right there. Ron just changed his eating habits, even if it is just for one meal, for you. As of right now, you've got him wrapped around your little finger." Monique was speaking like he wasn't even there, but he didn't seem to mind, _and she's got a point... wait, I don't want him to change... I like him just the way he is... rough edges and all..._

The rest of the meal was rather uneventful, I was getting to know Monique and Felix, figuring I'd be spending a little more time with them because of Ron, and we took turns going over the few days we were stuck in my house and how we got together, _minus a few details here and there_. I think Monique decided it's her personal goal to get Kim and me get along, she invited me to go shopping this weekend then asked Kim, knowing she didn't have any plans. _I need to tell her to take it easy... we're gonna have to take this at our own pace... because I trust her about as far as I can throw Brick Flagg... and she likes me about as much as the lunch lady..._ I was proud of myself though, I didn't make any direct attacks on Kim while we were talking, granted that could be the result of not talking to her much at all and staying engrossed in conversation with Monique about the new stuff coming into _Club Banana_.

Rufus was polishing off a plate as the owner turned to me, "Well, let's go see how Tara's doing." then to the others, "We're gonna go talk for a while, I'll see you guys later." A chorus of 'good byes' followed us.

"Hey, Bonnie! I saved a couple seats hoping you two would show up." _a couple seats?... I guess she's never really had a problem with Ron... and now that I think about it, didn't she crush on him a while back?... note to self, keep an eye on her... _it's not that I didn't trust her, she was my best friend, but Ron was mine and I didn't feel like sharing.

This conversation was like a bad case of deja vu, we were recalling the last week, starting with the despise we both felt towards Barkin for pairing us together up to and including this morning's chaos. Which also explained why there was an extra seat at the table, the usual owner was in ISS, _well it's now claimed... he can find his own seat from now on_. Ron was unusually quiet while I told that part of the story, when he did talk about it, he downplayed things with a 'no big' or two. Once we got all the horrid rumors, _some were just rotten to the core... there was even one that we'd got drunk during the blizzard and he knocked me up_, straightened out, Ron took some time to get to know the people at the table a little better. He knew most of them fairly well, it turns out that not everyone was quite as dedicated to the food chain as they let on and didn't treat him like a social pariah like I had.

**Ron's POV**

Lunch went fairly well, I think. I got a few remarks about my table manners being better than normal, _okay so they existed this meal_, but all in all it was good. Bonnie and Monique hit things off pretty good, I think the fact Monique works at _Club Banana_ didn't hurt things at all, but she'd better watch out with both KP and Bonnie. Those two together is like having Batman and the Joker locked in a room together, bad things could very likely happen. I hope they can work things out, I don't know if I could stand to have my best friend and my girlfriend hating each other, and I know I couldn't choose between them right now.

Then when we got over to her table, I think I shocked her a bit when I struck up a conversation with Tara and Laura. I don't think she was expecting me to know most of the people there, I mean it's not like they were my friends or anything, but I knew them well enough to carry on a conversation with them.

We'd been talking for a while when Tara popped off with something I think I could have gone without, "So Ron, how did you finally convince Bonnie that you weren't a loser like she tried to convince herself before?" I really wasn't expecting it either, I mean Bonnie was sitting _right there_.

I started to answer but barely had a sound leave my mouth when I felt a light squeeze from the hand intertwined with mine, "He didn't have to try very hard, all it really took was a pinch of Mr. Barkin's idea of a bad joke and a little bad weather." _I couldn't have said it better_, "Well mix that with a little Ronshine." _yeah, that's right... Ronshine makes it all good..._

"Can we assume that 'Ronshine' is how you've been keeping her in such a good mood the last two days?" one of the girls from the other end of the table asked.

I looked at Bonnie who scooted in close and found her way under my arm, which answered the question for everyone. "You better believe it, anyone who gets a dose of Ronshine is gonna be in a good mood." This got me a round of laughs and an elbow in the side.

Lunch period was getting close to an end, and things had went smoothly, _I should have taken that as an omen_. The wag of a petite finger caused my head to drop so she could whisper in my ear, "I could really do for some us time." That was all the encouragement I needed, we excused ourselves and made our way to her locker before everybody was released from the cafeteria. With the same motion of one finger my knees felt weak as I wrapped my arms around her small frame, "It's just us, you and me, no one to interfere, mano y ma-" I cut short her seductive sweet nothings with my lips, _it's not that I minded hearing it... but they were going to make me loose what little composure I had left if I didn't stop her_.

Unfortunately our 'conversation' was interrupted in a similar manner as the fight this morning was, "STOPPABLE, ROCKWALLER! My office, now!" _dang it... you were so on my good side till this_. We followed the intimidating man to his office walking on almost opposite sides of the hallway with our heads dropped in shame and disappointment. "I don't have to tell you why you're in here, public displays like that are not tolerated," _I thought you said you didn't have to tell us why we're here_, "I could place the both of you in ISS for the rest of the day, however I believe that would cause more problems than it would fix considering the other occupant. So I'm open to suggestions for a proper replacement punishment." _you can't be serious... we have to come up with our own punishment... that is cruel and unusual..._

After a short silence Bonnie spoke up, "You could let us off with an official warning," _yeah like that'd ever happen_, "You would stay within the guidelines of the handbook for a first time offense, and you would be avoiding a potentially hazardous situation from forming." _do you have the handbook memorized?... I'm not sure I ever even opened mine... wait, yes I did, when I needed kindling for a fire on that over night mission towards the beginning of the school year... and besides, there's no way Barkin would go for letting me off with a warning... first offense or not_.

"I can't allow you to get off with a warning, or the entire student body would think that I'm going easy on you. Or worse yet, they would expect the same treatment."

My mind kicked into smooth talk overdrive, "That problem is easily avoided, since we were the only ones in the hall we are the only ones who even know you brought us to your office. If you let us off with a warning, we'd never even remember we were here, right Bon-Bon?" I looked at her with a pleading look, begging her silently to go with it.

"Um, yeah, sure... We'd never even remember we came to your office." she seemed to understand where I was trying to go with this.

He only thought for a few seconds before he said, "This is your ONE AND ONLY warning, and if anybody finds out about this I will give the both of you a weeks worth of detention for violation of teacher student trust." _there's a such thing as teacher student trust in the handbook?... I doubt it, but I'm not going to ask_, "What are you waiting for, everyone to be released so they can see you leave?" Bonnie grabbed my arm and led me out.

Looking over her shoulder she pulled me into a kiss that made my mind officially quit working, "Wah- waha- what was that for?"

"For smooth talking Mr. B like that." _it was your idea... I just had to give him a little push..._

_**Ring**_

"Well, I guess I'll see you at practice." she sounded disappointed, _no don't do that... it'll make me wish I could do something to make it better, and I can't_, "Too bad our schedules don't cross for the rest of the day. But I guess they say absence makes the heart grow fonder."

She stood on her tip-toes and gave me a peck on the cheek before turning and disappearing into the growing crowd. I just stood there trying to recover from the power in her lips when a hand started to wave in front of my face, "Hello... Ron, anybody home?"

I turned to see Monique, fortunately she was alone because I really didn't want to explain my stupor to Kim, "Hey Mon."

"Can I guess, from the inability to respond when I yelled down the hall and the trance like stare in the general direction that a certain female would have taken to her locker, that you just got a MBK?" Now I had no idea what MBK stood for, but Monique is hardly wrong when it comes to stuff like this so I just agreed with her before excusing myself to make it to my next class on time.

I was halfway into my Mad Dog costume, on when the same three guys that were giving me a hard time yesterday came in. "Look guys, I don't want to cause any problems today. Can we just go without the loser beating today?"

When I spoke they froze and turned towards me, _is that fear I'm seeing in their faces?_, finally one of them spoke, "I don't see any losers to beat on, do you guys?" the other two shook their heads quickly, "I value the ability to walk when I wake up in the morning, have a good practice." Before I could find out what their deal was they bolted, _oh well, it's not like I wanted to put up with them anyways_.

The first thing I saw coming out of the locker room made me want to go back and hide, _maybe use a vent to escape_. My best friend and my girlfriend were at it again, obviously it had something to do with Bonnie not liking how KP was doing something. And Kim, being captain, wasn't about to back down to the demands of her arch rival, _time to go play peacemaker... I can't let them keep going or they'll never get to practice..._

"Ladies, ladies. It's all okay now, the Ronster is here. What's the problemo?" _I should have hid_, they both were giving me a look that made me thankful that they couldn't kill. "Come on, there's nothing that you two wonderful ladies can't work out like adults." _oops, maybe I should have worded that differently..._

"Why don't you tell your girlfriend to quit telling me how to do my job?"

"Why don't you tell your _friend_ to take someone's help when it's offered?" _that was below the belt... keep the gloves up..._

"I don't need any help, and if I did I wouldn't ask you."

"Why you-"

I decided to stick my neck back on the chopping block to prevent this from getting any more out of hand, "Hold up! One at a time, what is going on?" Then pointing to Kim I said, "Go."

"Why does she get to go first?"

"Bon-Bon, she is the captain. I will listen to both of you, just wait your turn. Now, KP?"

"Yeah, wait your turn." then seeing my face returned to the topic at hand, "Bonnie is trying to rewrite my entire routine for the upcoming meet next week, we won last time with the one I made, hands down, so I don't see a problem with it."

"Okay, now you get to be a good captain and listen to your teammate's concern." the look I got right then rivaled anything she'd ever given Shego, I about wet myself.

"I'm not disagreeing that we won with this routine, but we're going to be up against better schools and I think we could tweak her ideas with a few of mine and make this routine worthy of the talent that our squad has."

I decided right then that I have to be either the dumbest man alive or the bravest, I just stepped in between two women fighting about something that no matter what I do, one of them is going to hate me for about a week. "So, what should we do? You seem to have all the answers lately."

"I'm thinking, give me a minute." _Okay, so I'm panicking... same difference right?_, then a completely devious plan crept into my mind, "Here's what we're going to do. Today, we're going to keep practicing the routine you all know." Bonnie groaned and started to protest, "BUT, tomorrow after lunch, you two are going to sit down and go over the entire routine _together_. Bonnie, I want you to write down each idea you have that you want to change, and Kim, I want you to write down the things that you definitely don't want to change about the current routine, then you're _both_ going to make changes that will make it better than it is." _I'm gonna kill two birds with one stone... they'll quit fighting about this once they get through... and, maybe being forced to work together will make them talk things out some more... maybe even get them to quit fighting... maybe not make them like each other... but, at least quit fighting..._

Then, my wonderful plan backfired, "Fine, but we're going to need a mediator. You're going to do that, you can calm us both down and you can be the final say on things we _won't_ agree on." _What?... no, not me... Monique or Tara... anyone but me..._

I was going to argue with her, but the shy 'you don't want to argue with poor little me' smile I ran into made me realize I didn't have an option, "Fine. But you both have to make an effort to work things out. If you don't, I let Felix write a new routine and you will follow it without changing a step." _and Felix knows about as much about cheerleading as Kim knows about cooking..._

They both looked at me in horror, then at each other trying to size up their opponent, before agreeing and returning to the rest of the squad who had already finished stretching and were waiting on them to get things started. _What did I just get myself into?_

Even though both Bonnie and Kim told me not to 'over do it', I wasn't going to let them know I was feeling it today, I was going to push through, _no pain, no gain... right?_. It was funny for a while, then it got old, watching those two try and outdo each other; every time one of them would ask how I was holding up the other would be right there with a follow up 'are you sure?', which obviously was earning them a glare from the first person to ask right then. By the end of practice Tara had figured out that if she asked once in a while, neither of them would follow up or ask for a little bit, so she, for the sake of the team, asked me the age old question about every 10 minutes for the last hour of practice.

Hobbling out of the locker room, back in my long sleeved black shirt and red jersey, I quickly found myself being supported by a young brunette. "It's okay, I can walk by myself. I'm not on crutches, yet."

"What, so now you don't like being up close to me? Do I stink or something, I took a shower, maybe the soa-" _wow she really gets worked up sometimes... good thing I know how to get her to calm down..._ I felt her smile against my already present one before I pulled away, "Don't tease like that, it's not nice."

"We have an audience," pointing to a few of the girls leaving their locker room, _it's not that I really minded... and I **did** start it... but I'm not a big fan of making out in public... very often that is_, "besides, you can have as much as you want when you come over and I finally get to fix you a proper meal."

"Are you sure you're up to it?" _why do you keep asking me that?... I know what I can and can't do... if I can't handle it, then we'll call in something..._

"Yes, I'm sure." knowing that she wouldn't be satisfied with that, I prepared myself for what happened next: she laid one finger in the middle of my back, with a smile I said, "Now no more stalling, you call and make sure it's okay, and I'll go get things started."

"If you'll wait, we can ride in my car together. I seem to remember picking you up today at _her_ house." _come on... there was no way I was going to make it home last night... besides, I slept on the couch **alone**..._

"Sounds like a plan. We'll meet you in the parking lot." I saw Kim's red hair appear out of the locker room, and didn't think it'd be nice of me to blow her off, _even if she did blow me off once or twice... or maybe a few more times, but who's counting?..._

_Holy mother of all that is evil... I should **NOT **have had Bonnie drop Kim off on the way... this morning's content to avoid pushing each other's buttons was gone... and I was constantly being drug into the middle of it to 'settle' an issue... they're on their own now... no more of this Ron trying to fix things up between them... I'm going to let them agree to disagree..._

Fortunately the ride isn't that long and after dropping Kim off we went to my house. Which, unfortunately, had a station wagon in the driveway, _crap... I forgot they were coming home today_. Thinking fast, I asked Bonnie to hold on a second and flew inside, "Mom, Dad. Hi it's good to see you again. Wow, Mom, you look tired, I don't think you should be cooking, why don't you and Dad go out to eat tonight, just the two of you, enjoy a nice night off, you've been working all weekend at that conference and..."

My one breath attempt to evict the owners of the house were interrupted by my father's voice quietly speaking beside me, "Does it have anything to do with the pretty young lady that you rode home with?" I nodded, "Okay, I'll get your mom out of the house, she wouldn't like the idea, but I trust your judgment and hope that you can make the right choices." _Boo-Yah Dad!_ "Honey, let's get out of here. Ron has a point, you don't need to be cooking, and you know what happens if I go in the kitchen." _he's almost as bad as KP_, "I think there's a new Italian place in Upperton, let's go try it out." _sweet, that gives me even more time_.

**Bonnie's POV**

"Welcome to _Casa de Stoppable_, where all your dreams can come true." _all my dreams?..._

"Isn't that a little, I don't know, braggy?"

_Awe, he did the cute blush thing again_, "It's only bragging if it's not true." _and confident... I wonder how much fun I can have with this..._

"Well, I did have this dream once," his face lit up with shock, I don't think he was expecting me to keep up his game, "I was sitting in big plush chair being waited on, hand and foot, by this really cute blond." he started to smile at the ideas forming in his head, _oh this is going to be fun_, "He was cooking for me, and let me tell you he could cook; then he was giving me a massage..." his eyes rolled into the back of his head, "on my feet." His gaze instantly met mine, full of curiosity. "Then, he took the bottle of lotion I gave him and started to rub it in on my legs." he made a funny noise but didn't interrupt me, "He kept getting higher and higher till..." _I'm evil_, "his parents showed up and he had to quit when he got to the knees." I really wished I had a camera, his face was one in a million, not sure whether I was just toying with him or whether I was trying to get him worked up.

"Well, I think I can help with part of your dream," his eyes took on a devious gleam, "and if we hurry, we can prevent part of your dream from happening." I was trying to find the words to express what I was thinking right then, but I wasn't even sure. The idea of Ron's strong hands getting to know me better was a _very_ tempting offer, but I felt like I'd be moving too fast and, "You know, the rubbing of the feet and working up. I can just try massaging your back and shoulders, I had a good teacher so I think I got the hang of it." Dang him, he was playing my game right along with me. _He's so going to get it_.

"So, what is the wounded chef going to whip up tonight?"

"I was thinking something Italian, Italian food is romantic and I was kinda hoping that this was supposed to be a romantic evening," he starting to look away like he thought he was being to forward, _still insecure... and he has nothing to worry about..._ my heart melted like ice cream in the park on the Fourth.

"I was hoping this was going to be a romantic evening too." I said as I guided his face back to face me, _oh God, I hope he never looks away again... look at those eyes... or better yet, don't... they're mine..._

He pulled Rufus out of his pocket, rousing him from a nap, and whispered something in the rat's ear. Rufus looked at me, then at Ron to give him a thumbs up and took off, not more than 30 seconds later I heard Barry Manilow start playing from the other room and saw Rufus streaking down the hall towards, what I assume is, Ron's room. "Now, you make yourself comfortable while I whip up dinner." He led me to a high backed chair and pulled it out for me, then after a small kiss on my cheek he disappeared into the kitchen.

_What am I doing?... a week ago I wouldn't have even spoke to him... now I'm dating him and he's cooking me a romantic dinner... and every time he kisses me, oh wow, even the memories make me weak at the knees... and he seems like he honestly cares for me... after all I've done to him, he's still giving me a chance... I don't deserve this... I should be the one who gets knocked around by people... I'm the one who made other people's lives miserable... OH NO, this isn't going to last... this is some type of poetic justice... I've found a way that I'm actually happy, and it's going to be taken away from me... I've built a barrier that protects me from people trying to hurt me... but I'm letting him in... then something is going to take him away... just to make me pay for all the stuff I've done..._ I tried not to, but I started crying a little when I came to this realization. There was nothing I could do to prevent it, I had spent all my time and effort trying to 'win' at the food chain, that I didn't pay attention to who I was stepping on on the way up. Now Fate was going to have her way with me, and it was going to hurt.

"Bon-Bon?" _crap, he saw me_, "Hey, what's wrong? Don't cry, shh, it'll be okay." He'd already pulled me to my feet and was holding me close to his chest running his fingers through me hair, trying to calm me down. "Why don't you tell me what's going on? It'll make things all better."

I really didn't want to talk about it, and when I was silent for a while, he seemed to understand that I needed a little time. He just kept holding me close to his chest and playing with my hair, doing what he knew how to calm me down. "I can't go out with you." I went with the first words that I could form, and decided as soon as they were out that I should have worded it differently.

"What, you don't like me any more?" he hadn't let go, but there was some concern in his voice.

"No, but that's the problem."

"I don't see a problem, you like me and I like you. Yeah, we both have some things that I'm sure will get under each other's skin, but we'll cross those bridges when we get there." he kept trying to, unsuccessfully, brighten me up, "Or is there something about me that you can't handle? Is it how close Kim and I are, because I promise that there's nothing going on between us. Or is it how I can't go without making a joke about something for more than 15 minutes, I can stop that, really I can, I jus-"

I took his tactics to get him to shut up, I really needed to talk, _as soon as I get done kissing him... but I'm trying not to let him get any closer... too late now... cant let a good kiss go to waste_. "It has nothing to do with you, or with school or anything else for that matter. This is because if I don't get out now, I'm going to get hurt." I paused to catch a few shallow breaths, "You have treated me like a queen, and I enjoyed it, but I know that this will never last. You'll leave me, either by choice or you'll be taken away from me, by what I don't know. I just know that I've been too evil for something this good to happen to me, good things don't happen to people like me, they just don't."

"Shh, I'm not leaving you unless you want me to. Or you do something that I can't forgive you for, and I don't think you're capable of doing anything like that." I was having trouble believing the words he said, but the way he said it could have convinced me that the moon really was made of cheese. We just stood there, letting the food cool, when he laughed a little and said, "It's funny that you think I'd leave you, I was thinking the same thing in the kitchen while I was making this. I was thinking about how stuff like this only happens in Hollywood, and that loser like me would never be able to keep a girl like you. I was just hooping that I'd get an easy let down." _he thought I was going to leave him?... wow, I guess his insecurities were deep rooted..._

"Why don't we salvage what's left of the evening and eat. Food always makes things better, you should know that." his arms slowly let go of me, but my body was screaming at me to pull them back around me. We sat down facing each other, with our left hands laying across the table clasped in the middle, not saying much as we ate.

After dinner I helped him load the dishes into the washer and we went and laid down on his couch to cuddle and talk. "You're beautiful." he whispered as we curled up the same way we did that night that seems like an eternity ago, but was in reality less than a week ago.

"You're just saying that to butter me up."

"Now why would I want to butter you up?"

"So you can get some more of this." I turned and planted a big one on him.

"Well, if I keep getting those my parents are going to be broke." _what?_ "Butter isn't cheap, you know."

"Always joking, I'll bet you get out of your coffin at your funeral just to tell a joke." _but don't die on me just to prove me right..._

"Hey, funerals are so depressing, someone has to do it."

"Let's just hope that's a long way in the future."_ hmm, the future...  
_

"So, now we have a future together? I thought you were giving up hope because you are _such an evil person_."

"I had someone there to show me the light."

"Speaking of lights, my folks are home." I didn't know what he was talking about, since my eyes were closed, but when I opened them I saw a set of headlights turning into the drive, _dang... I want to stay right here forever... I'll bet his parents wouldn't like that idea much... _We both, grudgingly, got up and made our way towards the door. "I'll walk you out to your car."

As we got to the exit, it opened to his parents. "Hey Ron, who's your friend?" his mom was asking with slightly concerned anger in her voice, _why are you mad... it's not like we did anything... and I'm more than his friend... get it right, it's called girlfriend..._

"Mom, Dad, this is my _girlfriend_, Bonnie Rockwaller." he said 'girlfriend' with a little emphasis and pride causing the little voice in my head to scream, _YAY!_ "Bon-Bon, these are my parents, Barbara and Dean." Then it sunk in the depth of the situation, _I just met his parents!_

"Very nice to meet you, I was just leaving. Ron was just walking me out to my car, he's such a gentleman, again it was nice to meet you. Goodnight." _that was ever so slightly awkward..._

"Sorry about that." he was scratching the back of his head like he always does when he's nervous about something, "I was hoping to give Mom some time to let the idea set in before letting her meet you. She's not the most accepting of the idea of me dating someone she doesn't know, and have a full background check on."

"So you wanted me to meet your parents?"

"Well, I never thought about it. I just assumed that it would happen sometime, I mean if the first time you met them was at-" he stopped and looked like he was going to have a panic attack.

"Ron? Ron! Come on talk to me." I gave him a light slap on the cheek, which seemed to bring him out of it, "What was that all about? You were in the middle of a sentence and just stopped, what were you going to say?"

"Hey, look at the time. I'll see you tomorrow, pick me up at KP's again?"

"Yeah, I'll pick _you_ up." his eyes narrowed a little, "Okay, I'll pick you both up." then his goofy smile resurfaced, "But don't think you're going to get by without answering my question, what were you going to say?"

A panicked look crossed his face as he started to scratch the back of his head, again, "Er, umm, it was nothing. Don't worry about it."

"If it was nothing why won't you just say it then?" _he's not going to get out of this one..._

I heard him mumble something really fast that sounded like, "It'd...awkward if th... oo met... edding." then clearer he said, "I was just talking without thinking so don't pay no attention to it, just me speaking before thinking again."

"Try again." He tried to lean in to give me a kiss, but I stopped him short, "Not until you tell me what you said."

He looked around as if he was going to find an answer in the dark, "Okay, but don't freak out. I was just-" I put my finger on his lips to stop his rambling, he took a deep breath, "What I said was, it'd be awkward if the first time you met them was at our wedding." His voice was almost so quiet at the end I about missed it, _did he just say OUR wedding?... _ It was my turn to panic, _wedding means, marriage... which means forever... which also means little Rons and Bonnies... and that means... and... and..._ "I'm sorry, don't freak out on me, I didn't mean it. I'm so stupid."

He started to try and run back to his house, but my hand, on it's own accord, shot out and grabbed his arm. "You didn't mean it?" _do I want him to mean it?... oh wow, this is way to early to be thinking about this... maybe he's right, and I should just let it go..._

"That's not what I meant either, I don't know what I mean. Why can't we just forget that I said it?"

"Because you did. And, I'm not freaking out, I'm just slightly panicking at the thought of the future. I don't think about it much, and having something, even if it is only a possibility, out there kinda causes my heart to hit overdrive."

"Oh," then there was a LONG uncomfortable silence. We've had comfortable ones, and this wasn't one of them. "Well, I guess this is good night."

"Yeah, I guess so." I was looking down trying to take in his slip of tongue when I felt one of his arms find its way back around me, while the other lifted my head to meet his. _Now this is a comfortable silence_, we stared into each others eyes, trying to get a peak at the soul hidden behind, till we ended the night with a short, but passionate kiss.

Neither one of us broke the magic of the remaining silence as he helped me into my car and I drove off to what I hoped was going to be a peaceful sleep. My last thoughts before drifting off to a land of blond hair, brown eyes and long kisses was, _would it be so bad?_


	9. Little Fixes

A/N: This fic is going to stay at a "T" rating, there have been a couple comments how this could change to a "M". Bonnie and Ron may talk about doing stuff, it's either going to be teasing (see last chapter) or they might be talking about it and how they feel about _doing it_. There will be no lemons in this story, sorry (watches a few readers run off).

And with the teasing, Bonnie will eventually realize that, while she's trying to tease Ron, she's also teasing herself because she also thinks about it.

I hope you like Rufus' role, I figured it was abouttime he had some fun.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible, if I did, I would be rich and my stories would be on TV rather than here.

* * *

**Kim's POV**

I was entering the land of consciousness and wondering why five minutes didn't sound like it'd be enough, I reached over and hit the alarm harder than I needed to to get it to be quiet, but I was exhausted and it was interrupting a really good dream, one that involved _him. And that would be why I'm tired... I can't cry till 3 in the morning every night... I'll be out of it all day if I keep doing this... and I'll look like crap... not that that's different than now... I mean, I don't even have a boyfriend... and the one guy who isn't afraid of the fact I can beat him up is dating someone else... I'm too butch for most guys... they want a girl that is pretty... I'm not... I'm just an average girl that's more manly than most of the guys... I'm the **loser**... not even Ron, my best friend, and come to find out closet crush, will date me... he'd rather date Bonnie than me... _I tried to force the thoughts away as I got up and ready to face what was promising to be a horrible day, but no matter how hard I tried, I kept coming back to the same conclusion, _I'm not pretty... and no one wants to date me... I'm repulsive to the male gender..._

Right on cue, the front door received a quick knock before the man who now haunts my dreams entered. He always shows up in the morning before school, he has since we've been allowed to walk to school. _Okay Kim you can do this... happy face, we can't let him know we're down... he's always been there for you... it's time to repay the favor a little..._ "Hey Ron." I said as cheerily as I could.

"KP! How are you on this wonderful morning?" he seemed to be floating on a cloud.

"I'm fine, yep, completely fine, nothing bothering me here." _overdone?... I hope not..._

The cloud he was floating on disappeared and he looked me in the eyes, "Sure, KP. And let me guess, you figured out how to boil water without setting off the smoke detector?" _how can he do that?... just look me in the eyes and know that something is up..._

"That's not fair, just because some of us aren't the greatest coo-" he cleared his throat as if calling my bluff on this one, "Okay, so just because some of us _can't_ cook, doesn't give you an excuse to make fun of me." He didn't say anything, just stood there with an expectant look on his face, _well let him wait... he's not going to get anything out of me... he's got enough on his mind..._ I had turned back to packing my books into my bag when I made the mistake of looking up to see if he was done. Oh no, he was still standing exactly where he was when I looked away, and now he was giving me _that_ look, the look that I can't lie to or say no to. _Dang it_, I plastered my smile back on, "Yes?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just wondering what's got my best friend all worked up this morning."

"I'm not all worked up-" I started to lie, but the look mixed with him clearing his throat again made me forfeit that plan, "I just got some stuff on my mind, that's all."

"Okay, if you say so." he wasn't going to push, but he didn't have to, he knew I'd tell him when I was ready to talk.

And that time came a whole lot sooner than thought it would, "I'm ugly."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm repel guys faster than Shego breaks out of prison. I look like crap, I'm more of a man than most of the guys in our school, no one wants to date me because they are afraid of me or they agree that I'm hideous. Not to mention that I'm more of a man than they-" I was stopped by a hand covering my mouth. By this time my eyes could have passed as the kitchen sink.

"Are you done lying, or do I have to keep my hand here?"

I didn't move and he took that as a sign of submission, "Ron, I'm uglier than DN-" the hand returned.

"Okay, so my hand is going to stay this time. You are _not_ ugly, trust me. You do _not_ repel guys, though your dad would be happy if you did," I laughed through his hand and through my tears,_ always making a joke... that's what I like about him... he keeps me from getting too serious_, "but that's off topic. And as for looking like crap, well to be honest you do look kinda pathetic with those red puffy eyes." those red puffy eyes got wide with surprise that he'd say that, "Hey, it's my prerogative as your best friend, I can say that. And last I checked, and that was about a year and a half ago when I had no other option, you were most definitely NOT a man." I knew exactly when he was talking about, I found out Ron was most definitely a man around the same time, "Let's see what else was there? Oh yeah, they should be afraid of you, but not because you can kick their butts, which you can, but because you can break their hearts. And I'm not even going to touch what you were about to say that last time." he shuddered at whatever thought was going through his head, "Now can I move my hand?"

I nodded and buried my face in his shoulder, "Why can't I find the right guy for me if I'm so amazing? They're either freaked out by the whole world saving gig, or the fact I can fight and use 16 different styles of kung fu to defend myself."

He hushed me and was running his fingers through my hair again, "So you're single right now, I've been single for the past 18 years, minus a few weeks now and then. It's not as bad as it sounds. You're beautiful, and whoever the guy is that you end up with is one of the luckiest men alive, I know because I've known you my entire life." I wasn't crying tears anymore, _I could be out of tears_, but I was still sobbing.

**Bonnie's POV**

I woke up this morning feeling pretty good, I would have been better if I could have woke up like I did last week. Even then it felt nice, and now that we're going out, I would kill to be able to wake up like that again. I've never slept with a guy in any sense of the word until Ron, and I did that when we still were working on tolerating each other, _it's weird how we went from almost hating each other to dating in 4 days... I'm not complaining, it's just weird... I just hope we didn't rush things... maybe he jumped to me because he was afraid he might screw things up with Kim... he admitted that he likes her... but he also said that he likes you, and said that he wants to try and make this work... right now, I hope it does..._

Pulling into the Possible driveway, I noticed that both of the cars were gone, _must have had to be at work early today_. I meandered my way to the door, knowing that we had plenty of time to spare before school started, and knocked. The response was the same as yesterday, the door was opened by two young mad genius' and I was let in.

"Dad had to be at work really early and..."

"...Mom got called in for an emergency operation."

"Ron and Kim are..."

"...in her room getting ready." Both were pointing down the hall. And as fast as they spoke, they disappeared. _Those two need serious help... and maybe shock collars..._

I made my way down the hall to Kim's room and froze, _I'm seeing things... he can't be... he's holding her in her room... and she's wrapped up in his arms... and is he running his fingers through her hair?... I can't believe I trusted him... I thought he wasn't like other guys... he's worse, he told me he wouldn't drop me for her... then he does it anyways... I'm so stupid for thinking I had him... and **her**... she said she wouldn't take him away from me... that lying little skank..._ I decided not to make my presence known, they'd only try to make something up and try and cover even if I did. As quickly as I could I made my way back to my car and took a detoured route to school to blow off some steam behind the wheel.

**Ron's POV**

_Wow, Kim's really upset about this... I feel bad because it's partly my fault... if I hadn't hooked up with Bonnie... but I did, and that's what matters... KP and I will always be friends... maybe someday we'll be more, but not for a while... I'm dating Bonnie, and I don't want Kim to be my rebound girl... speaking of Bonnie, I wonder where she is?_ Kim had quit crying and pulled out of my embrace, "Thanks Ron. You're the best friend a girl could ask for. I better finish getting ready so Bonnie won't have to wait on me for very long," then she added with a smirk, "She might not wait on me."

"Come on KP, give her a chance. And no I'm not saying that you gotta be all buddy-buddy like with her, but at least try and get along." I made my way to the living room just in time to see the Tweebs shoot out the door.

"Later..."

"...Ron." _those two are an accident waiting to happen... to somebody else..._

_Did I forget to mention that I was going to be at Kim's?... no I'm pretty sure we talked about that... she wasn't happy, but like I explained, I can't just drop my best friend... _

"Is our ride here?"

I was getting pretty down about her not showing, but I threw on the ol' faithful goofy grin to cover anything on my mind, "Nope. She musta go sidetracked, looks like it's gonna be like old times, just the two of us today."

"The old times were last week Ron." She was shaking her head as she picked at my fake sentiment, "Well, I guess we better get going or we're going to be late, which would mean a detention for both of us, and I doubt _Bon-Bon_ would appreciate you spending time with Big Mike rather than her."

"So not the case, KP. When it comes down to my badical GF or badforyou Big Mike, there is no contest."

"Do you want me to relay the message to Bonnie for you?" she pointed to the clock, _we'd better get going... about five minutes ago_, "We're going to be late if you keep standing there, you didn't forget how to walk and talk at the same time did you?"

"Funny KP, very funny." And with that we made our way to school to be drained of all individuality and spirit, _I wonder where that came from... _

We made it to school, barely but we made it. I tried to catch a glimpse of Bonnie, just a little _pick-me-up_ to make it to biology, _now I'm comparing Bonnie to a drug... I guess in a way she is... you get a little, and you want more... only this drug won't kill you_, but was unsuccessful.

First hour was finally ended by the merciful ringing of the bell, I met Kim over by our lockers just in time to hear Shego had finally got around to breaking Dr. Drakken out, _I wonder what took her so long... then again, why can't GJ just keep them in?_. I was telling Kim later when I turned to meet a blue eyed blond, "Hey Tara, how are-"

_**SLAP!**_

I was stunned, _what did I do to you?... don't tell me you want me too... I don't think I could handle that much attention from the opposite gender_, "I can't believe you, I thought you were better than the rest of them." _Can't believe me?... what did I do?... and I'm better than who, and can I get that in writing?..._ She either didn't pick up on my confusion or just ignored it, "You sorry sonuva... Bonnie showed up to school looking like she'd been crying and was pissed at the world, enough she wouldn't say anything to me besides 'Ron!' and when she said that she started crying again. I don't know what you did, but what ever it was you deserve so much more than that slap." _I don't even know what I did... how can I make things better when I don't even know what I did wrong?... I can't read minds, it'd be nice, but I can't..._ I started to make my defense, but was cut off, "I don't want to hear it, stay away from her. If you make her cry anymore, I promise that you won't walk for a week." The scary thing about how she said that is, I honestly think she would have been a harder fight than Shego, just because she was pissed. An adrenaline pumped cheerleader on a mission to kick someone's _puga_ is not good, especially when that someone happens to be me. _That's kinda funny... I remembered something from that Latin class KP and I took together last year..._

Then without giving me time to ask what she knew, or to find out what I should do, the blond spun on her heal and stormed off down the hall. Looking to KP I asked the unspoken 'what did I do?', and a little to my surprise she didn't look quite as confused as I'm sure I did. In fact, I don't think she looked confused at all, her eyes were the size of small plates like she'd just seen a ghost, _if you don't tell... I looked over my shoulder to make sure..._ But before I could ask her to decode the weird message I just got in high school girl talk she grabbed my arm and pointed me towards my next class, "Go." The tone in her voice was one that said I had no clue what was going on and that she was going to do what she could to fix it, and I knew better than to argue with her, _it's just pointless when she gets her mind set on something_.

The next couple hours were horrible, I couldn't concentrate, _well anymore than I normally do_, and I was constantly running the last 24 hours over in my head to find something that I'd done to possibly hurt her. The only thing I could think of that it could be, well it _couldn't_ be, she wouldn't be hurt by that and I'm gonna step on a limp to guess that I'm the only one who's ever talked about the future with her, _even if I didn't mean too... and did I mean that?... when you think about it, we've only known each other for a week... and been dating less than that... it's way too early to be thinking like that... then why did I say it?_. But like I said, I don't see how that could _hurt_ her, maybe scare or freak her out, but not hurt. _What have I done?... I have officially screwed up my first serious relationship in less than 3 days..._

**Bonnie's POV**

_I really don't want to go to this class today... I don't want to see that cheater... I hate him... he's cheating on me with **her**... I thought he wanted this to work out?..._ My thought stream hit a dam when a hand grabbed me and pulled me into one of the side hallways. _It was **her**, that red headed bimbo who is stealing my man away from me... well, if he wants to be with you so bad, you can have him... I don't want to be with a guy who can't stay faithful to me..._ "What do you want?" I bit back any and all of the names that were rolling through my head.

"We need to talk"

"What, are you going to tell me that Ron is cheating on me and is going to break up with me to be with you? Because if that's what you're going to tell me, I already know."

"Ron's not cheating on you, what makes you think he is? Ron wouldn't leave you for me, he couldn't hurt you like that." I was actually impressed by her acting, if I hadn't saw what I did, I might actually believe her.

"What makes me think he is? Are you seriously going to stand there and try to lie to me straight to my face? I saw you two this morning in your room, does the image of you wrapped up in his arms while he played with your hair ring any bells?" I thought her eyes were going to pop out when I got that out, _that's right... I caught you red handed... you can't deny it..._

Then something that didn't add up with my equation happened, she didn't try to deny it or cover with some lame story, no she tried to look distracted while she avoided making eye contact. She wanted to say something, but knew that I wouldn't listen to anything she had to say, even if it was some semblance of the truth. But that hesitation on her part let me know, _somehow... like a gut feeling_, that I should give her a chance to speak, "I know you won't believe me, but if I don't say it I'll be a horrible friend to Ron and then when you broke up with him I couldn't feel right about dating him knowing that I could have tried and helped." she stopped to take a couple breaths, _she doesn't like what she's about to say... it's got bad baggage attached to it_, "Semi-long story short, I cried till 3, woke up feeling like crap about some things, Ron showed up and saw right through my smiles, I finally broke and he ended up letting me cry on his shoulder. And the whole playing with the hair, it's weird and personal, so please don't laugh, but he found out a long time ago that it's a fool-proof way to calm me down. He's done that for me since I started liking boys and got my heart broke the first time. Ron cares about you a lot, enough that I don't want to try and break you two up. He's happy, or he was till Tara slapped him this morning." She finally took a breath, and the words that came out of her mouth hit me like a ton of bricks.

_I didn't trust him... he said he wouldn't... but he's a guy... guys do that kind of thing, don't they?... but what if she's lying to me?... you know better than that, you saw how hard it was for her to tell you... why didn't I just say something when I found them?... because you were irrational and probably would have said things that you didn't mean... well, I guess at the time I would have meant them... but why was she crying?... did it have something to do with me and Ron?... if there still is a me and Ron... I've got a lot of patching to do... why am I such an idiot?_, "Tara slapped him?" The idea was quite a bit to wrap my mind around, she was usually the quiet reserved type.

"Hard. Then she said something about him being like the rest and hurting him if he went near you again, she was yelling rather loudly, I couldn't help but hear her." That was the last straw, I not only didn't trust him but because of that distrust I was acting like my typical self and got him slapped, I collapsed against the wall and slid to the floor. _I'm not going to cry... I'm not going to cry... I'm not goin-_, I felt my resolve breaking and I let one tear roll down my cheek. I heard a small rustling beside me, then after a little bit I felt a hand on my shoulder. "It's not your fault Tara hit him," her voice was cracking, it had to be torture for her to be standing there trying to comfort me, "He doesn't know what happened, I figured most of it out when Tara showed up, but Ron's a bit clueless at times." I managed to chuckle at that, "I made a promise, and I intend to stick by it even if it drives me crazy. I'm not going get between you and Ron, I'm going to be the best, best friend I can and be as supportive of his decision as I know how." I managed to look her in the eye before she reached into her pocket and held out a piece of paper and continued, "Give Ron this, tell him to read it. It'll be okay, as long as you trust me that I'm not going to lie to you about this things will work out."

I took the folded note, "What's on this? We just talked and you just found out what was going on?"

"It's something that Ron will understand, after he reads this there won't be any more questions about today. Trust me, he likes you and it'll be okay." For some reason her confidence was shared and I felt better, "Now we better get to class, we're both gonna be late if we don't run." Getting up and grabbing my bag I was shocked when Kim pulled me into a hug, "Don't think this means I like you." And with that she took off down the hall in the opposite direction I needed to go.

**Ron's POV**

_I hope I'm not the only guy who has done this... I mean in less than three days I've gone from having a beautiful girlfriend to completely screwing it up... enough that her best friend came and slapped me in the hall... I must have **really** screwed up... _I sat down and realized the seat next to me was empty, _she's probably waiting till the last second so she doesn't have to talk to me before class_. And just as I suspected, she came running in the door just as the bell rang, _she's pissed enough at me that she hasn't even told me what I did... I wish I knew, but I can't ask because if it's that big of a deal I should know what I did..._

Mr. Barkin had already started his growling when she got to her seat, and that's when I noticed that it looked like she'd been crying. Not a lot but enough that I could see the tell tale signs that she had been, _now I feel even worse... what did I do?..._ I racked my brains trying to figure out what I'd done and came up with about as much as was wrote on the page of notes in front of me, nothing.

I ventured to look her way once she got settled in and about fell out of my chair when she spoke, "Ron, I'm supposed to give you this." She was speaking quiet enough I barely heard her, and the folded piece of paper she was holding under the table caught my attention. I reached for it, making sure Mr. Barkin couldn't see my movements, and made a point to touch her hand when I took it; I was relieved when she didn't shun away from my touch, but didn't want to push my luck till I knew what was going on.

_Ron,_

_I'm writing this before I talk to Bonnie, so I don't know for sure what is going on. I'm going to take a guess it is similar to one of the reasons Josh broke up with me, I think she's got a problem with how close we are. If you're getting this that means things are all okay. As a friend I'm asking you to forgive and forget everything that Bonnie did this morning, and if she doesn't want to talk about whatever is bothering her, don't push her. As for the whole Tara issue, I can't help you there, but I'll bet that Bonnie will talk to her about it, if you're getting this that is. Like I said, I don't know what the details are, but if you're reading this Bonnie and I have talked and it's all okay._

_Please and thank you,_

_KP_

I smiled at her signing it with my nickname for her, but my wheels were already turning. _I guess this is a good thing?... they talked and Kim is saying all systems green... but what did I do in the first place to start this whole mess?... I don't want to do it again..._ I decided that I'd chance a detention and quietly asked, "If you don't mind, what did I do? I know I hurt you or I wouldn't have got slapped, and for the life of me I can't figure out what I did and I don't want to do it again."

She sat there looking at the board before she grabbed my hand under the table, "I just misunderstood something I saw again, and jumped to conclusions. Please forgive me?" She wasn't looking at me, but I could hear the pleading in her voice.

"I'll forgive you if you forgive me." _I screwed up somehow... even if it was a misunderstanding_, "I don't want to hurt you again."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for, but I know you'll beat yourself up until I say it. So, you're forgiven for my mistake." _not quite what I had in mind_, she wasn't done though, "I'm sure you realized I didn't pick you and Kim up this morning." I saw her glance at me out of the corner of her eye, so I just nodded, "It's not that I didn't show up to get you, I just happened to show up when you were holding Kim in her room."

Not thinking I spoke in a slightly panicked and therefore slightly louder tone, "Nothing was going on, she-"

"Stoppable. Is there something you'd like to share with the class?" _crap..._

"No sir, won't happen again." He just grumbled something about respecting authority and went back to the board.

"Keep your voice down, we can't have our mascot missing practice now can we?" she was trying to hide the smile creeping up on the corner of her mouth, _oh man... what I wouldn't give for some privacy right now_, "And I know what actually happened. Kim, literally, yanked me aside before class to find out what my major malfunction was." _okay so that explains why you were almost late too... but why were you crying if you were finding out that I wasn't doing anything?... oh, you wanted me to be cheating on you so you could have an easy out... you realized that you can't spend your time with a loser like me..._

Then a small squeeze on my hand made those worries fade, "So, I have an extremely jealous girlfriend who jumps to conclusions about the smallest things." She started to let go of my hand, but I wouldn't let her pull away. And because she didn't want to make a scene she couldn't fight it and gave in leaving it at my mercy, "It's okay, I kinda like the thought that you'd send someone to slap me because you thought I was going to leave you, at least I know you care."

"I didn't send her," _really?_, "I just found out about what Tara did when Kim pulled me aside. Me and her are going to have some words during lunch." there was a small bite in her voice.

"Take it easy on her, she thought you were hurting because of me, and at the time she would have been right. I can't blame her any at all, I do remember facing off with a rather large football player because he was hurting you."

She didn't say anything in response to that, and we just sat there holding hands under the table until class was dismissed for lunch. And for the first time in as long as I can remember I wasn't particularly looking forward to this lunch, not only did that mean we weren't going to be sitting there holding hands, _granted we would in the cafeteria... but I didn't want to let go_, but it also meant I was going to be sticking my neck back on the chopping block to keep the peace between the beauty beside me and the one who I've known for more than 75 percent of my life. _I have to be the dumbest guy alive... sticking my neck between two girls who can't stand each other_.

Conversation went just like it did yesterday, Bonnie and Monique talked fashion, Monique occasionally managed to pulled Kim into the conversation without disastrous results. Kim and Felix were talking about something to do with one of his mom's new projects that I couldn't understand, _or didn't want to think hard enough to understand_, and I just sat there eating and talking when someone spoke to me,_ it's kinda nice to just enjoy the people around you... even if they don't particularly enjoy each other_. One thing that has really surprised me is how fast Bonnie has taken to Rufus and vice versa, I remember her saying it was gross that I had a hairless rat in my pocket all the time before we started dating, and now half the time he finds her shoulder and she's always offering him bits of food.

Finishing off the last bite of soy product they claim is meat, it sunk in that as soon as I finished that bite I was going to be asking Mr. Dr. P. for that trip to a black hole, it'd be a whole lot more peaceful than the debate I had unwillingly thrown myself into. As much as I hoped and begged any deity that might be listening to make them forget I heard, "Well now that you're done, let's go fix Kim's routine." I wanted to cry, I really did.

"Since there's nothing to _fix_ it won't take long."

"You call tha-"

I had to stop them before it started, "We're going to play fair, petty arguing is behind us, we have structure, we have rules." _that sounded familiar... oh well_, "Even Shego plays by some rules, even if they are slightly skewed. We will look at each suggestion, and each of you can make a case for or against it, then you will agree on what to do with it." They both were giving me a look that made me glad looks couldn't kill, _I'm so going to be in the dog house for the next week... probably with both of them_, "Remember, if you two can't work through this like mature adults." I paused to let it sink in, "Felix gets to write the entire thing and neither of you can change it."

Their demeanor changed from the looks of death directed at me to looks saying 'we have to make this work' directed towards each other, _boo-yah... point to the Ronman... until they do get this done... then I'm toast_. We found an empty table and they both pulled out some papers with stuff I didn't understand, I saw stick figures and odd words that didn't make since to me, _I mean, aren't 'toss' and 'basket catch' games for little kids?_. They got right to work on it, Kim pointing out stuff she would **not** change and Bonnie pointing out things she thought **must** change. Thankfully none of those points overlapped. Then I went into my selective hearing mode and just watched them talking, which was both a good thing and a bad one. It was a _really_ good thing, because watching Bonnie form words with her lips made me remember a few of those... good times we've had. However, it was a bad thing because I really wanted to make a few more memories like those 'good times' and I didn't think it would be quite nice of me to interrupt them by stealing a kiss. Besides, Mr. Barkin was watching the lunch room today and he let us off yesterday, there's no way he'd let it slide two days in a row.

I'm not sure how long I was lost in my own little world of brown hair, blue eyes, and the sweet smell of vanilla, but I was brought out of it by the ringing of a rather annoying bell. My eyes quickly came back into focus on the real world and I saw those two actually smiling, Kim looked like she'd just beat Shego without breaking a sweat and Bonnie looked like she'd just won nationals. "Um? What just happened, I kinda spaced out for a while?"

"Kim saw the light, and I made her routine better."

"What I think she's trying to say is that I took my already great routine and added a few of her better ideas to spice some things up."

"Okay, okay. I get the picture, you two saw I wasn't paying attention so you're pulling a fast one on me. When are we going to finish this?"

Bonnie gave me a shocked look, "You mean you weren't paying attention to me?" _oops, did I say that out loud?..._

"That's not what I meant, what I meant to say was-"

I was stopped by Kim laughing, "It's okay, we noticed you were lost in deep thought," Bonnie smirked when she heard that, "so we hammered things out. We're done, we both like the new routine better than the old one, and we both want to change a few things on this one, but we know neither one of us is going to give any more ground." _so you two are agreeing on this?... when did I fall into a parallel universe?..._

"Okay? I'm going to see the nurse, I think I'm hallucinating."

They both laughed at me, "I think we scared him Kim." Bonnie received a nod in acknowledgment from Kim as she took off, "You better get to class, don't wanna be late do you?" When I stood there thinking about it, she looked over my shoulder and gave me a peck on the cheek, "There's more where that came, but I can't give them to you if you're in detention." Having all the motivation I could ever need to go to class, I returned the favor, _with a little better aim_. "I think that'll get me through the day." she said with content spread across her face, "Now go."

**Kim's POV**

I saw the squad finishing up their stretches and Ron was already in the Mad Dog uniform talking to Bonnie, who had already finished stretching but thought a few more toe touches weren't a bad idea, _quit trying to show off Bonnie... you don't have to rub it in... amp down Kim... she's not trying to get under your skin... she's just reminding Ron what he's got... I've got to get my mind off of him..._ At that thought I got everyone's attention, "Alright ladies, the routine is going to be a little different, a few minor adjustments were made. It's better, but harder which means we need to practice and get it down."

"You mean you're going to actually take the advice I gave you today?" _I could really do without your lip Bonnie... I did put up with you during lunch without backhanding you like a sloppy guard_, "I think you need to give credit where it's due, I mean if I hadn't said anything and made you make changes, we would still be doing that lame one we did at the last meet."

That was the last straw, I felt my anger reach the boiling point and I was opening my mouth to tell her where she could stick her ideas. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending how you look at it, I was stopped before I could start, "What these two lovely ladies are trying to say is: while the routine _did_ win the last competition, it was decided that you needed to step it up a notch for the next meet. So they sat down today **_TOGETHER_** and hammered out some changes that they both think will bring in the big 'W' for us. Now it's time that we stop talking about this and practice, okay?" There was no question in his voice, maybe fear of getting beat for getting in the middle of this, but no question as to whether anybody was going to take his advice.

"He's right, let's just get this going. First major change we need to look at: Tara you're goi-"

_**Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep.**_

_Dang it Wade... I guess it's not his fault the villains have bad timing... I am so going to hurt whoever is interrupting today... _I looked at my partner as we both went to my bag with the waiting video conference in it, "What's the stitch Wade?" I tried to hide my frustration from him knowing he didn't deserve to be on the receiving end of it.

"Dr. D already have a plan in the works? I thought he just got out today?" Ron asked slightly taken by the idea, "Well I guess he could have had something on the back burner for when he got out, or he could-"

I stopped him with a glare to shut up, _man he gets going and you can't stop him sometimes_, "No, I'm sure he's still whining about loosing his hovercraft to Shego. Speaking of that, I have been reverse engineering that-" I stopped him short with the same glare I'd just given Ron, "Okay, right the mission. Dementor was spotted in Canada, I don't know what he's up to this time, but we apparently caught him fairly early so this should be a simple grab and bag mission. Well as simple as a grab and bag mission can be against his goons. There have been some rumors about how none of his guards are less than 7 feet tall and none that can lift less than 600 lbs on the bench, could be steroids or possibly a muscle enhancer they are wearing. I'll let you know when I find out more."

He started to reach for his keyboard, "Um, Wade are you forgetting something?"

"Oh yeah, your ride will be there in 20, you have time to change into mission clothes before you have to leave."

After hearing what I wanted to hear, "Please and thank you Wade." When the screen went dark I turned to Ron, "You heard him, we're going to Canada."

"What about practice?"

_He's right... but if we let Dementor keep going when we can stop him before he can do any harm... I hate tough decisions..._ "None of my major roles in the routine changed, I can leave things in someone else's hands while I'm gone and I'll just learn my part when we get back."

"Do you want me to tell her?" It took me a second to realize what he was asking, then thinking about it I knew he was right, she was the best option to leave in charge. I gave him the go ahead and made my way to put on my mission clothes. As I stepped out the door I was greeted by Ron yelling, "Sweet, we finally get our own, KP this is so cool."

"We get our own what, Ron?" he was acting like a kid in a candy store with a $100 coupon.

He pointed to the approaching object in the sky, "We get our own hovercraft, the one that Wade hacked from Drakken at Fort Knox. He's going to remote fly it and we get to have free transportation when ever we need it. Isn't this badical?" Sure enough, a pilot free hovercraft stopped directly above us and lowered a platform inviting us in. _There are so many things that can go wrong with this idea... but Wade must think it's safe... and Ron's totally stoked about it... I guess I'll give it a try..._

The flight from Middleton to Dementor's base of operations in Canada took us a couple hours, during which Wade was able to find out more about his latest scheme, he was in possession of the blue prints to a mechanical suit, similar to the one Ron said was in _The Matrix_, the major difference was the ones he planned on making didn't require ammunition, they used a small cold fusion power plant to run both the movement and the energy based guns. The ones on the 'arms' of the thing appeared to be basic rapid fire lasers, while there were 'shoulder' mounted blaster cannons Wade was certain could easily make it through the doors to Cheyenne Mountain. I still wasn't sure what they were talking about because I haven't seen any of the movies, so Wade sent a set of schematics and a clip from the movie to give me an idea of what we might run across. I was glad he found out about this before Dementor had a chance to fully implement his plan after I saw that, Wade seemed certain that he hadn't had time to make more than one or maybe two and even those would be prototypes and wouldn't have the shoulder cannons, _count your blessings I guess... why can't he just be happy with ginormous goons?..._

We'd just landed outside maybe a quarter mile away, _thank you Dr. D for the cloaking device... no more parachuting in for me_, when Wade contacted us again. "You remember how I said his guards were bigger than normal, I found out why. He's using a collar that feeds them a continuous drip of a fast acting steroid, you remove the collar and they return to normal goons. Well as normal as they get for Dementor."

"So they go from freakishly huge to just scary huge?"

Wade gave him a concerned look, "Yeah, this isn't going to be a walk in the park. Be careful."

"You rock Wade, thanks for the info." he gave me a small smile before cutting our link. "You heard him, lets get in there and be careful."

"I'm always careful KP."

"What about the time you tripped on your own feet and hit the big red button labeled 'Do Not Touch: Self Destruct'?"

"Which time?" he asked a bit sheepishly.

"You just made my point for me."

We made the rest of the walk in silence not wanting to alert them to our arrival. We made it to the complex without being seen by the guards outside, who were _huge_, but it didn't really matter because once we got inside Ron decided to go through one of the vent openings rather than going over it, _why can't he learn the word 'stealth'... I guess here we go..._ I turned around and followed through opening he'd just fell through, "Sorry, KP. I slipped." I didn't give him the gratitude of a response as I surveyed out predicament, it turns out Ron picked the worst possible place to fall through. We were almost immediately surrounded by a dozen goons, all with a tight collar attached to their necks, and the alarm and flashing red lights made me think more were on their way.

"Ron?" I heard a sound that I assumed was him trying to reply, "Are you ready to dance?"

"I thought we talked about this, I'm dating Bonnie." I gave him a glare that should have made his heart stop, "Oh, heehee, that's not what you were talking about was it? I think I'm just going to go try and tackle a mountain. Hey what do you know, there's one right there."

"I think it's time to take out the trash, let's go Ron." and I took off into the air, my foot on a direct course to the closest monstrosity's stomach. _OWW_, I felt like I'd kicked a brick wall, my ankle strained when I landed to keep me from falling, "Don't try hitting them, it's useless." I turned to see him already in the process of punching one of them repeatedly in the stomach, only to get him to start laughing and saying something about stopping and being ticklish.

"Um, KP? This isn't working, what's plan B?"

"We can't hurt them as long as they're amped up, so lets pull the plug." he looked at me and finally got the idea when I touched my neck. Unfortunately, the big man Ron had been 'tickling' was recovering, "Ron! Watch out!" he turned just in time to see and miss the large paw swiping to grab him. I wasn't so lucky, the wall I'd bounced off of backhanded me halfway across the room, I landed on my feet, but it hurt.

The next few minutes were spent in a flash of dodging over-sized fists and dives, while I was unable to get a good angle to get a collar off of anybody. Only two or three at a time ever bothered with Ron, and he looked like he was barely managing to avoid getting hurt, _crap... he's still stiff from Shego... not good..._ I finally saw an opening, I leapt against the wall as I was being charged and rebounded onto the human bulldozer's back. With a quick tug the collar snapped and within a few seconds the 7 foot 3 inch monster returned to his 'normal' size of 6 foot 8 inches, _better, but can I hurt him?..._ I didn't need to answer that question, because in the chaos one of the other giants met my ride head on, they both collapsed into a heap as I hopped clear, the larger one however got back up, _well at least when they loose their boost they can be stopped..._

I had a split second to check on Ron before I had to deal with any immediate threats to me. I felt my stomach twist itself into a knot when I saw a hammer of a fist launch Ron face first across the room, as the responsible party made their way to finish what they started I went into action to detour him. Ron was slowly getting off the ground and saw me coming to play interception, but instead of being grateful he hollered, "Nooo! KP. Behind you." I tried to meet the unseen attack, but felt the shockwave of his shoulder in my side sending me into the wall opposite Ron.

I tried to get up, but when it feels like electricity is going through your entire body when you try to move it's hard. Looking up from the ground I saw 7 mountains of my demise closing in, and through their legs I saw Ron, and he saw me. We made eye contact and I saw his face change like someone flipped a switch, he went from laying there in pain trying to cover it with his goofy grin, to having sheer determination ironed onto every aspect of him. He stood without flinching, and turned to the goon that had sent him flying across the room, in a flurry of movement he got behind him and removed the device that gave him the superior strength. Returning to 'normal' size, Ron used him as a shield against one of the 3 unoccupied and made his way towards me, dodging and throwing people as he went.

He now had _everyone's_ attention, no one was even looking at me, _not that I minded... I was having trouble standing... let alone defending myself..._ Surrounded by 10 of the original 12, he seemed awfully content, and when another dozen come barreling through the door, he got a smirk on his face. I tried one last time to stand, and managed to pull myself up using the wall, but the effort temporarily blinded me with pain. When I was able to focus again, I saw Ron plucking the collar off the last standing guard and using one of my moves to drop him to the cold floor.

Quickly surveying the room, he ran over to me, "KP? Are you okay?" his demeanor was back to one I recognized, he was worried, but less controlled than he had been 30 seconds ago.

"Yeah, I'll be okay." I didn't lie, I would be okay, but I also didn't answer his question, _no right now I'm not okay... but it doesn't matter because we have to stop Dementor..._

He was about to call my bluff when a rolled up set of blue papers dropped between us. We both looked up at the same time to see a pink head show itself in the vent, "Rufus. I was beginning to wonder where you went." He bent to grab the gift and when he saw what it was yelled, "Boo-Yah! Rufus you are the man, or mole rat, or something." he scratched the back of his head real quick.

"What about the prototype? We can't let him keep it, he could reverse engineer it to make more." as if in response to my inquiry a small vibration came through the floor.

"I don't think that's going to be a problem KP." We shared a small laugh before we contacted Wade to get our ride to come pick us up.

Back on our newly acquired hovercraft, I asked Ron what happened while I couldn't see. He blushed and seemed reluctant to talk about it, but finally caved, _and I didn't even have to use the PDP_, "I got hit pretty hard, and thought I was done for. Then I saw you get blindsided..." he stopped, and I put a hand on his shoulder, "thanks, when I saw you get blindsided, I kinda went off. Then more guards showed up to stop you, only they got distracted," I punched him lightly, "okay, so maybe more than distracted, and I managed to trip at all the right times to grab those blasted collars off of them. I really didn't have to fight all that much, once their collars were gone a lot of them got trampled in the commotion to get to me. Rufus is the real hero, I just acted as distraction again." I started to elbow him again, but he caught it, "None of that, I'm serious, I just kept them busy while Rufus somehow got the plans and caused that explosion we felt. I'm not the hero today."

The rest of the ride was spent in silence as I laid my head on his shoulder and fell into an exhausted nap. The last conscious thought I remember was, _I'm glad my best friend is Ron..._

**Bonnie's POV**

I was sitting on our front porch swing trying to finish the last of _The Two Towers,_ since I'd been busy the last few days I hadn't had a chance to read much and even thought I'd seen the movie I really wanted to finish the book. However, a strange sound and the sight of an even stranger vehicle gliding overhead towards Ron's house caused me to forget about Frodo and Sam. My heart started to flutter a bit as I marked my place and started down the street, _he's back... I hope he's okay_, then I realized that I sounded like a worried mother, _when did I turn into a softy?... dang him, it's all his fault... but it's kinda nice being able to be myself... but it was nice to have everyone under my control to... according to Monique he's wrapped around my little finger... but I think she had it backwards..._

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts the walk didn't seem to take any time at all, I was coming to the edge of the bushes near his house when I heard his soothing voice, "Like I said, KP, I couldn't stand to see you hurt, you are my best friend." _That's kind of sweet..._

"Is that all we're going to be?" _hey, that's my man... back off_, but instead of making a scene I decided to let him answer her.

"KP, you are beautiful," _not the way I would have started that_, "and any guy would be lucky to be with you, but right now I can't give you an answer to that. I really like Bonnie, I like like her... a lot." I choked up a little when I heard this, I know he's told me, but to hear him telling his best friend that he really likes me adds a whole new level to it, "I really want to see where things go between us, but I don't want it to get between us as friends. I couldn't choose between her or your friendship, I'd go crazy if it ever came down to that."

There was a short silence before she said, "I understand, and I'll try to be a better friend. I probably haven't been the most supportive in your relationship, and all those years you were there for me. You climbed a freaking mountain so I could go on a date with someone else, the least I can do is try not to take things out on her."

"KP, have I ever told you, you hurricane rock?"

There was a high pitched laugh as I stepped the rest of the way into sight. I saw a similar sight to the one I witnessed this morning, she was wrapped in a bear hug only this time he wasn't playing with her hair and they were both smiling.

Kim was the first to see me, and quickly pulled away from Ron. When he turned and saw me they both said at the same time, "This isn't what it looks like."

"Jinx." I remembered hearing them say that in the past, and it fit I thought, "So, it's not two friends sharing in a hug, then what is it?"

"Can we talk for a sec, Bonnie?" the red-head asked, then looking towards Ron, "Girl talk?"

He raised his hands in understanding, and sat on his porch steps while Kim walked over to me, "Yes?" I wasn't sure what to expect, I mean I'd heard what she'd just said, but I was still a little leery of her.

"First off, as his best friend, if you hurt him in any way I'm going to show you what 16 styles of kung fu looks like." her face was stone as she spoke, there was a silence as the words sank in. Finally her features softened a little into a smile, "But as his best friend I'm going to stick by him, which means we have to get along. I know we talked about this when Shego was here, but I don't think I've been completely fair with you or given you a chance. So, how about we start over and try, for Ron's sake, to make this work." she offered her hand to me in a sign of peace.

I didn't take it right off, I had some things I needed to say first, "Well for me, first thing I have is as his slightly possessive girlfriend: stay away from him, he's mine." she started to respond, "But... but, as his understanding girlfriend: thank you for giving me a chance." I stuck my hand out to meet hers.

After taking each others' hands she looked over her shoulder at the cute blond talking to his pet, "Don't keep him up all night, he had a rough day." Then, starting off towards her house she spoke louder, so he could hear her, "G'night Ron, I'll see you in the morning."

"'Night KP."

**Ron's POV**

I watched as Kim made her way down the street, and turned to see Bonnie walking through my lawn towards me. In the evening light, I would have swore she was glowing, and I went to meet her like a moth to a candle. I could see that she had a look of content as she slid her arms around me, "How's my hero doing?"

"Right now he's asleep." I figured that Kim had at least given her an idea of what happened today, but from the confused look I was getting I had figured wrong, "Rufus was the hero today, Kim and I were the distractions while he did the dirty work. And he just crawled in my pocket and went to sleep."

"Well then, how is my favorite distraction doing?" and I know I'm not the fastest, but I caught that double entendre, and there is no way she missed the look on my face.

"Well, he's doing a whole lot better now that he has his own distraction."

I watched as her smile got a little wider, _does she know what she's doing to me?... there's nothing I want more right now than to taste her smile... that sweet seductive smile that makes me feel like I can fly..._ I leaned down, and resisted my own desire to find her lips, and left a trail of light kisses from her cheek to her ear then down her neck. I felt her shiver and heard her whispering prayers of thanks; I couldn't wait anymore, my lips found hers and were met by a greedy kiss, begging for more while giving all it had. Pulling away long before I thought was necessary, she smiled and said, "I was told not to keep you up all night." I was at a loss for words, she was going to leave me hanging. "It's a good thing the Sun just went down."

I whispered, "Boo-yah." into her vanilla hair as she pulled up against me. I stood there taking her in, lightly laying a few kisses in her hair or on her forehead just enjoying the moment of peace. I allowed my mind to wander over the last week, _it's amazing what can change in such a short amount of time... and as crazy as it all happened, I wouldn't change a thing..._ "Bon-Bon?" I felt more than I heard her mumbled response, "As much as I'd like to stand here like this all night, I'm out of gas. I need sleep."

She lifted her head, but didn't let go, "So, not only did the Sun go down, but now I have to go without Ronshine too?"

"I think I can give you enough to get you through the night."

I leaned down to deliver on my statement when she shocked me by saying, "Can't I just have the source of Ronshine? Use you as a big teddy bear? We could curl up on my couch again, only this time it wouldn't be because you were trying to pull me out of a slump either."

Now as great of an idea as that sounded like, I wasn't sure that even with the self-control I possessed I would be able to overcome the temptation to do something more than either of us were ready for. I met her forehead with mine and did my best to convey my worries, "I'm not so sure that would be a good idea, we might do something we'd regret. We didn't do anything last time, but I don't think my willpower is that strong right now."

She seemed a little let down at the idea, but I think she understood that, while I try to be a gentleman, I still have hormones that make me a man. "I doubt I'd regret it, but you're right. When did you suddenly become all wise and stuff?"

"Don't know, I just don't want to hurt you and that's what I'm afraid would happen if I came with you."

Her smile made a reappearance on her face, "I'm glad I have a voice of reason in my life," _first time I've ever been called the voice of reason... kinda cool_, "And as much as I want to curl up beside you I don't think either of us are ready for what could happen, not that it would, but it could and we're probably better off if we just avoid the temptation." I let the relief flow through my body when she said that, "However, I am going to take up your offer to give me some Ronshine to get me through the night." Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, she was on her toes stealing what she wanted, and I offered no challenge.

"Good night, Bon-Bon." was all I could manage after she pulled away from me.

"Sweet dreams, Ronnie." she waved with her fingers before disappearing behind the hedge.

_I could really get used to this... I just hope I don't screw it up... why am I so full of hormones?... waking up to the smell of vanilla would be better than waking up to the smell of bacon... maybe someday I can... just maybe..._


	10. Ferrets, Dolphins, and Lobsters

A/N: Not much to say this time, but I will address something in the reviews. Kim has to get over not getting Ron before she can move on, it would put the same damper (or worse) as before if she liked Ron but was dating someone else. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible, if I did, I would be rich and my stories would be on TV rather than here.

* * *

**Kim's POV**

_**Beeeep, Beeeep, Beeeep**_

I reached blindly and slapped at the offensive noise before looking at it. _Why am I getting up early today?... oh yeah, they wanted to be there early to finish some stuff... and I didn't want to walk alone... actually I didn't want to walk period... I hate mornings..._ Despite my body's protests I dragged myself out of bed and got ready to face the day.

Once I managed to make myself halfway presentable to the world, _yeah right... who am I kidding?... dang it Ron told you last week to quit thinking like that... he's your best friend, you should listen to him_, I followed my nose towards the smell of bacon, _must be Wednesday... Mom always makes bacon on Wednesday_. I placed my hands on the rail and pushed off with my feet before I remembered I wasn't supposed to. I tried to land quietly, but I was still a little groggy and my reaction time was a little slower resulting in a light thud, "KIM!"

_Oops..._ "Sorry Dad, I forgot." _which is the truth... I had... besides, it's easier to go over the banister than to go down the last 5 stairs and have to backtrack... even if it is only 3 feet..._ It was the same scene that plays out two or three times a week; I forget till it's too late not to jump the railing, Dad yells, I apologize, and Ron and Mom laugh about it. It's been like that for a while, and I'm sure that as long as I live here it will continue to be like that.

There was a small change in today's routine though, I didn't hear Ron laughing with my mom, no that was clearly not a Ron voice. My entrance into the kitchen brought an answer to my curiosity, Mom was sitting there laughing like she always does with my best friend's girlfriend, Bonnie. "Hey Kimmie, how many strips do you want?"

"I'm not that hungry, just give me 7 or 8."

"Not hungry? You do remember you're still on the cheerleading squad, right?" I looked up to give her a glare of death, but saw that unlike she used to, there was a glint of humor in her eyes, _two can play this game_.

"Well, when you actually _do_ something at practice you burn calories. Making out and standing to the side talking to the mascot doesn't burn that much." _two points to me..._

"You'd be surprised how much of a sweat you can work up." My eyes must have looked like they were going to pop out from the smug look of satisfaction she had on her face, _major points to Bonnie for that one... can't let it go unanswered though..._

"Sick and wrong, making out with a dog is so not cool."_ I'm not calling Ron a dog... but I did say the mascot..._

"I'm not gonna complain, I like my Mad Dog. Speaking of which, I wonder where he's at?" I was beginning to wonder the same thing, it's not like him to just not show up. Then again, he was supposed to be here early, and we were out kind of late last night chasing Adrena Lynn, _that girl can run forever_.

"We'd better just go get him, chances are he slept right through his alarm." I realized the set up was too good to pass, "I did keep him up past his bed-time last night."

Without missing a beat she said, "Yeah, I know. He called me and kept me up when he was done with you." I couldn't come up with anything, so I raised my hands in a sign of defeat. We'd finally come to an understanding about things and we weren't at each other's throats as much. And there were times like this where you could almost say we got along, _almost_.

"Alright you two, break it up. Finish your breakfast and go get him," Mom had decided that our little game was up, "Besides, I think it was Adrena that took it out of him."

Bonnie and I both yelled "Sick and Wrong!" at the same time.

"Jinx, you both owe me a pop. Now if you want to get there any earlier than normal, go get Ron."

I called his house on the way to the car and asked Mrs Stoppable to make sure Ron was awake. We were met by an unusual sight, _well maybe not that unusual_, Ron came running out the door short a pair of pants. "Hello ladies, thanks for picking me up I kinda slept through my-"

He stopped when neither one of us could hold it any more, "Did you forget something?" was all I managed to say while laughing.

His confusion was cleared when Bonnie added, "Fearless Ferret or not, I don't think Mr. Barkin will approve."

"I meant to do that... yeah, I meant to." he tried to cover his mistake while retreating quickly into his house.

_How can he forget his pants?... then again, how many times has he forget them?... or lost them?..._ When he reemerged from his house his face matched my hair. For his sake, I'm sure, Bonnie changed the subject, "Let's go so we can put the final touches on our project."

**Bonnie's POV**

Finding an empty table in the library Ron started to whine, "I thought we finished this thing this weekend, I thought we were done." and technically he was right, we had finished a few days ago, but I like to polish things up a bit before turning them in.

"I want it to be perfect so Barkin doesn't say we spent to much time on extracurricular activities. He did tell me not to, how did he say it, _distract_ you."

"Well then, I think you failed." I raised an eyebrow, wondering how he could say I failed when we got done 4 days ahead of time, "You were there, so yeah, you failed."

I wasn't getting where he was going, "How did I fail when we haven't even turned it in, and we got done early?"

"I didn't say _we_ failed, no I'm pretty sure this will be the highest grade I've got in that class all year, but _you_ failed at not distracting me." I had to repay a compliment like that, so making sure Mrs. Dewey wasn't watching, I made him enjoy his morning, _well more than he already was being with me_. "Boo-Yah."

"Quiet, or we'll get kicked out."

"Can we go find someplace more private if I get us kicked out?"

"No, I'll go stand in the hallway right next to Mr. Barkin's normal post."

"Aww, come on, that's so not fair."

"Then let's polish this so it shines."

Without any more argument he started to go over the paper to make sure it wasn't grammatically butchered and there wasn't anything that felt out of place or needed more explaining, _come to think of it... maybe I should have done that part... oh well_. While he did that, I skimmed over all the sources that we didn't have time to read and dig more information out of. _Now this is interesting... Dolphins are the only animals, besides humans, that go through the act of sex for pleasure and not always for the purpose of procreation... I could point this one out to Ron... it's on that random facts sheet that we said we wouldn't use unless we needed filler in the paper... it'd be funny to see him get all flustered... he's cute when he's nervous... really cute... crap, I can't do this... I can't keep thinking about Ron being cute at the most inopportune times... I'm going to drive my self crazy... but I can't help but be butter in his hands when he gives me that smile that no one else gets... and it's not like we don't **want** to... at least I want t- _

"Are you going to work or just stare off into space and make me do the rest?" Ron asked as he waved a hand in front of my eyes.

"Sorry, I was kind of lost in thought." He gave me a curious glance before going back to proofreading, "On second thought, put that away, we're done."

"Boo-yah. I mean, of course I'll put it away."

I was about to suggest we go find someplace we could 'talk' when I saw a familiar shade of red coming our direction, I was getting used to her, I mean we weren't friends or anything, but we could be in the same room without yelling at each other and calling each other names, _well... for hurtful reasons anyways... as much as I hate to admit it... she's not as bad as I used to think... actually I think she's a lot like me, just wrong more often..._ As soon as I could see her face I could tell something was wrong, "Hey guys, giving up already?"

"I think I'm finally getting somewhere, KP. She's the one who suggested we put it away, finally someone who might end up agreeing with me about this kind of stuff."

"I wouldn't bet on it. I just know that it's good enough to get the A I need, and the A you could care less about." I made sure he caught the idea that I'd been pointing out all weekend, _if he'd just try... not even try hard, just try... he'd be doing a lot better than he is..._ I was surprised Ron hadn't picked up on Kim being upset, sometimes he just doesn't see what's right there in front of him, "So Kim, as you would say, what's the stitch?"

"I was coming to tell Ron to clear his calender tonight." _Um, excuse me?... last I checked he was my boyfriend... and we had an agreement that went something like: you no touchy my Ronshine_, "Remember that bet you lost?" _Ron was betting with Kim?... what, I'm confused_, "She wants to collect." It took a second for the pieces to fall into place, _Shego_.

Ron reached the same conclusion I had from the way his head dropped to the table, "Why couldn't she have just forgot that part?" I was in the mood to agree with him, we could all have done without this headache.

I went around the table and put my arms around him from behind, "Hey, at least she doesn't want another fight." _at least I hope she doesn't_.

"You can find the good in anything, can't you Bon-Bon?" he took my hand and lightly pressed his lip to it sending a shiver down my spine. Before I could react he became the voice of reason, "We'd better get to class. I can't get a detention, I doubt Shego would take that as a good reason to be late."

Mindlessly I wandered to my first class, _I can't believe she's collecting now... things were going so perfect until she stuck her nose in... I mean Kim and I aren't trying to kill each other... not that I don't want to on occasion... and everybody at school has finally calmed down and accepted that we are together... Brick hasn't even tried to start something... not that it'd do him any good, but still... I finally convinced Tara that it doesn't matter how upset I look, don't go smacking my boyfriend without talking to me first... I was funny watching her apologize (with my encouragement)... _

I stayed distracted thinking about the last week and a half during my first couple hours, then it hit me that I only had one more hour till I would be giving a presentation. Needless to say I couldn't focus on anything but Flipper and his cousins until biology. I waited on Ron outside the door, I was going to make sure he had everything, _maybe I should have kept it in my bag... he might loose it... no, I have to trust him to be responsible... oh, please say he didn't loose it..._ When he did show up, his face was pale, _oh no_, "Um, Bonnie what would you say if, I don't know, if I lost the paper?" _I'm going to kill him... well maybe not kill, but severely injure..._ I could feel my face getting hot as I prepared to rip him apart verbally, "Okay, now you're not nervous. We can go get your A now."

I was lost, really really lost, "Excuse me, what are you talking about? You just told me you lost the paper, and now you're saying I can go get my A, please explain."

"I never said I _did_ loose the paper, I asked what you would do if I _had_ lost it. It's right here," he reached into his bag and pulled out a small stack of papers stapled together, which I quickly proceeded to remove from his possession, "Easy Bon-Bon, I could tell you were stressing about it, so I had to get your mind off things."

"You could have done it in a less brutal fashion, you're lucky I didn't rip your head from it's resting place and shove it somewhere the Sun doesn't shine, and I _don't_ mean under a tree." He rightfully looked worried till I added, "Ronshine would have worked so much better anyways."

"I think I can handle that."

He started to lean towards me and I put a finger on his lips and stopped him, "Uh-uh, you missed your chance, now you have to wait."

Dejectedly he pulled away, "Fine." Then looking like someone lit his pants on fire his eyes got big, "I forgot to have Wade burn a copy of the footage of the dolphins from that mission, I need to have him feed us a transmission."

I wasn't going to fall for the same trick twice, "Nice try Ron, you got me once now the joke is getting old." _What does he take me for... gullible?..._

Instead of trying to convince me, he went to drastic measures with this one, he reached for his Kimmunicator, "Wade. I need you to patch that edit from our mission a couple weeks ago, you know the one where we were swimming with the fishes. And if you don't, I have a feeling I'll be doing it again, just not quite as literally."

"Nice try Ron. You're just talking to yourself, however, good acting."

_"Can I assume that would be the reason you'd be dead?"_

_WHAT?... he wasn't kidding... I'm so going to kill him_, "Yeah, so please tell me I can hook this into the TV or a monitor and you can make it work." he was begging Wade to save his hide from getting stretched on a wall, and this time not Shego's.

_"I'll one up that, did you notice your Kimmunicator is a little lighter?"_ Ron thought about it and nodded, _"Last night I swapped them out for a prototype, and one of the major test features on it is a 3D holographic emitter. All of them, except the mark I, have had 3D recording becau-"_

I stepped around where he could see me, "Hey, time is an issue Wade. I don't know where you live, but so help me if we're late on this assignment, I will find out." I was getting antsy about things as was, I didn't need him to start rambling about how smart he is.

"Bon-Bon's got a point, not that I'd come and find you or anything, but I know you're a genius. Can we skip to the part where you save me, and I say please and thank you?"

_"If you promise not to let her anywhere near me." _I'm pretty sure he heard me growl at that point, _"Yeah, yeah, like I said, I'll one up a screen, I'll turn the front half of the room into an aquarium full of dolphins."_

"Wade, I know I've said this before and I meant it every time, but you rock in stereo. Thanks."

"Yeah, Wade thanks. Sorry about threatening to hunt you down, I'm just a little nervous so I'm cranky." I really was sorry, I'd never really met the guy, kid, whatever and all he's heard about me before the last two weeks probably hasn't been the most flattering light.

_"No problem, just make sure he doesn't mess this up."_

_He's go a sense of humor... maybe I should give the kid a chance_, "Very funny geek boy." _it wasn't me..._

_"If it wasn't for the pretty lady needing this as much as you, I'd leave you high and dry for that."_

"Thank you Wade, we'll contact you when we need it." he nodded and disappeared, "And you, you are going to get punished for this."

He flashed me a devious grin, "Another tongue lashing? What would this be, my 3rd or 4th? If I keep misbehaving, you might have to come up with a harsher punishment."

"If you don't get in there, you won't like your punishment. How does 3 days without so much as a hug sound?"

He started a bit, then smirked again, "You can't go without Ronshine for 3 days, and empty threats don't phase me." _he's got a point_, "But, because I know how important this is to you," I closed my eyes a little in warning, "and me, how important it is to _us,_ I'll go in."

I decided as soon as the visual part of our presentation began that Wade could brag as much as he wanted from now on, you can brag when you're _that_ good. And watching Mr. Barkin's face as we presented was priceless, I don't think he's ever seen Ron that motivated in the four years he's been at Middleton High. When we finally took our seats, I felt satisfied in a job well done. Satisfied enough that I chanced a detention when I grabbed and held Ron's hand in celebration the rest of class, _nothing could make today go wrong..._

**Ron's POV**

I was watching practice, but even with all the beautiful ladies in not a lot of clothing, _man you gotta love cheerleading uniforms_, bouncing around the gym I was in a completely different world. In a couple hours I would be facing the one person in the last 3 years who, while I was defending myself, beat me into painful submission. I was going to willingly go face someone, who could with a thought turn me into a pile of ash, all on my own. _Wait... do I have to go alone?... I could bring someone to watch my back..._

I'm pretty sure that if anybody was paying attention to me they would have been asking why I dove towards my bag and started digging through it, but I was on a mission and I didn't care. _I found it_, "Wade... Wade, come on buddy I need a favor again." still no answer, "Aw man, I'm sorry about the geek boy comment. It was uncool and it will never happen again, I'll make it up to you, just ask anything and I'll do it." As soon as the words left my mouth I regretted saying them, and sure enough he appeared almost as soon.

_"Anything?"_ I'd already said it, so I couldn't really take it back. He must have taken my silence as a quiet defeat on my part, _"So, what do you need, Romeo?"_

If he wasn't just a kid, only accessible through air waves, and not locked behind a security system that Kim would have trouble getting through I would have responded to his little jab, "I need you to contact Shego."

Wade about sprayed his pop all over his equipment, _"You need me to WHAT? Are you crazy, you have to spend the evening with her, why do you want to talk to her now?"_

"I need to ask her some questions about tonight, you know what she likes, doesn't like, what rules she's going to have, company, allergies, etcetera etcetera."

_"Company? As in you want to bring Kim for a bodyguard, don't you?"_

_Dang he pays too much attention, _"It can't hurt to ask, can it? I don't even know where we're going to be, it could be in one of the lairs or she could just take over a fancy restaurant and tell them that I'm going to use the kitchen."

_"I don't know, Shego's pretty good with a computer, this could take me some time to find her and get a link established."_ he looked at another monitor and started typing. Three seconds later, _"Okay, got it."_

_Yeah that took so long... genius', sheesh..._ "Thanks" he nodded and the screen changed to the face of a beautiful, _hey just because she's on the wrong side of the law doesn't mean I can't appreciate the view_, but not very pleased woman.

_"Buffoon? How did... never mind, I'll answer my own question, Wade, right?"_

"Yep."

_"Okay so to what do I owe the pleasure."_ I could hear the sarcasm, but at least she was trying to be civil.

"I just had a few questions about the ground rules tonight."

_"Simple, you call me when you're already on the way and I'll send you the coordinates, Nerdlinger doesn't track you, and you come cook me a meal. When we are done eating, yes you will be eating with me to make sure you don't poison me, you are free to go. As long as no one comes busting through my doors or windows everything is going to be fine."_

"Do I have to come alone? I mean I will be on 'foreign ground' and we already know what happens one on one between us."

She didn't say anything right off, just sat there thinking before answering me, _"Princess can't come."_ I started to protest but she kept going, _"If she shows up, we'd end up fighting and I want to just sit back and relax tonight with a good meal that I didn't have to cook. So you can bring company, just not her."_

_Well that didn't go quite how I wanted it to_, "So where are we going to have this shindig?"

She started laughing, _"Nice try, but not till you're in transit and I make sure your friend isn't listening."_ I couldn't help but wish her luck with that, I've yet to have seen him not be able to hack a transmission.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later."

_"Don't sound so down, I know it's hard, but I think you'll make it the next couple hours without seeing me."_

Before I said something that could make this evening even more awkward than it already looked like it was going to be I killed the connection. _Okay, so I can't take KP and she said she doesn't want to fight... do I trust her?... she does work for Drakken... but she's always been fairly straightforward about being bad... she's not the devious misdirection type... so I take her at her word... I don't need any backup..._

I managed to enjoy the rest of practice and it's many wonders, _I may be taken, but I'm not blind_. After a while, however, I realized I couldn't pry my eyes off of a certain blue eyed individual, _man I wish I could have had tonight free... after the mission last night and Monday being bad for her and Sunday I was at KP's... it just would have been nice to go out with her tonight..._ A thought crossed my mind that I pushed aside, _no, I can't do that... she'd never go for it_, but it kept coming back, _well, I could ask her..._

Kim finally called it a day, congratulating everyone on a good practice and heading to clean up. It didn't take long till Bonnie and KP came out, surprisingly together and speaking in normal, not yelling, voices, _I'm glad they're at least trying to get along_. "Hey Bon-Bon. Hey KP. How are my two favorite ladies doing?"

"Well, your _favorite_ lady is doing wonderful." All I could think as Bonnie tucked herself under my arm was, _what did I just start?..._

"Your _original_ favorite lady is doing fantastic." instead of trying to settle this, I just collapsed on the bleachers and buried my face in my hands, shaking my head, _I'm not getting involved_, "Bonnie, I think you need to lift his spirits." _I'm not getting involved... I'm not getting involved... I'm not getting involved..._

"I think you're right," _I'm not getting invo-... what?_, I removed my hands from my face enough to see Kim holding in a laugh and Bonnie kneeling in front of me doing the same, "What's a matter Ronnie? Can't you handle two women at once? I thought that was every man's dream."

Before the last couple weeks I might have agreed with that statement in some shape or form, but I knew better now, "I have enough trouble keeping one girlfriend and one girl best friend happy. I'm happy to be a one woman man."

"You better be." was all I made out as they both started laughing at me.

Kim calmed down quickly and explained, "We kind of planned this, we thought it'd be fun to see your reaction."

"Yeah, real fun, let me tell you. It was so funny I couldn't even laugh at it." _Oh, this is bad... I liked it better when they didn't work together... it was safer for me that way..._

"We're sorry Ronnie, is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" Bonnie said as she slid up beside me and under my arm. I gave up trying to be mad, _how can you stay mad at someone like that?_ "So, what were you talking to Wade about during practice?" _Oh yeah... I almost forgot..._

"Thanks for reminding me, I kinda have a favor to ask." the curiosity was clear as crystal in her smile, _man I'm lucky_, "What are your plans this evening?"

"Well, I _was_ going to hang out with my boyfriend until Kim ruined that idea."

"Hey, it's not my fault he lost." I was taken back by the statement till I realized she was still just messing with me, _it's not my fault she's got a few years experience on me... plus the whole I'm a klutz issue and she's not... besides, I was rather proud of how I faired against her... I would have lost money on that fight if I was betting how long I'd last..._

Bonnie's curiosity got stronger, _good thing she's not a cat_, "Why do you want to know?"

"Well, I was kinda wondering if you would be interested in a home cooked meal, complements of chef Stoppable?" I couldn't help it, I was nervous. I know we'd been going out for a week and a half, but I still wasn't used to asking her to do stuff. I always expect the worst and she's going to realize that I'm a loser and say no one of these times, _dropped like a hot potato... avoided like the plague... ostracized by the female population in general..._

"Exactly how do you plan on doing that? I thought you had plans with another woman tonight." I mentally sighed relief that she didn't blow me off, but knew the hard part was yet to come.

"Yeah, about that, uh, you see, I kinda had Wade callShegoandseeifIcouldbringafriend." I mumbled through that last part as quick as my mouth would let me.

"Can we try that again? Ron, I didn't understand anything past 'Wade'." I looked at KP begging for mercy, she understood me, I could tell from the tone in her voice that she heard me. She just wanted to make me say it again to make a point, _what point I'm not sure... not gonna ask either_.

"I said, I had Wade call Shego and see if I could bring a friend. Shego, the green skinned villainess, you know the one that makes green plasma flames with her hands, said yes I could bring someone with me." Both of their jaws hit the ground at the same time, "What? Do I have something between my teeth?"

"There is no way you are seriously considering taking your girlfriend who, no offense Bonnie, doesn't have any fighting skills to speak of to meet and spend time with one of the most deadly single human beings on the planet. If you're going to take anyone, you need to take me, I can handle her and if she decides to try anything evil I will be right there to stop her."

"I thought about that," _wow I never would have guessed I'd get to say those words_, "but there's a couple things that made me decide to ask Bonnie. One, I can't ask you to go with me, even if I wanted to. Two, I don't think it's necessary, Shego said she doesn't want to fight, she just wants her meal so we're even. I may not like what she chose professionally, but I get the feeling that off the clock she's not so bad."

"You have got to be kidding me, right? And why can't you ask me to go with you?"

"No I'm not kidding, KP, I might be insane but I think Shego's just in it for the green." I paused, _come one... someone has to catch that one_, "Get it? She's just in it for the _green_." still nothing, "Man you are a tough crowd. And on top of that, I can't ask you to go because I was told I can't bring you by Shego. She said she wanted to enjoy a relaxing evening without having to worry about fighting."

"Do you believe her?" the words were simple, but the look on Bonnie's face told me she meant them.

"Yeah, I mean sure she tries to help an evil genius take over the world, but yeah I believe her."

"That's all I needed to know. Ron, it would be my honor to join you tonight for dinner." _Boo-yah_

"Bonnie, are you not paying attention? You just agreed to go and have dinner with Shego, the same Shego that just over a week ago had an all out brawl with your boyfriend right here in this gym."_ kinda hard to forget that... still a scorch mark on the floor where she stopped the girls before they left... they really need to buff that out..._

I think Bonnie earned Kim's respect right then and there when she said, "I know what I just did, and I'm scared to death because I know what she's capable of; I spent the next few days trying to help him through the pain. But, I know I'll be fine because Ron trusts her, if I learned anything at all in the last two weeks it's everybody deserves a chance." She hung her head as she finished, _hey don't do that... you'll make me feel bad..._

I squeezed my arm that was around her to give her a little support, "I'd listen to her, she's the smart one in this relationship. Everyone deserves a chance, and to be honest we only know her professionally."

Kim looked exasperated, but finally threw her hands up, "Fine, I guess if you want to go face Shego all on your own, and put your girlfriends life in danger, go for it. Who am I to stop you?"

"KP. That's not fair, and you know it. Shego has never gone out of her way to hurt any of us, well except last week, but that was only because I hurt her pride. And even then she didn't try to injure me, just hurt me enough to make me give in, to prove she's better than me. She doesn't need to do that anymore, and the way you're acting she might be right, if you showed up all you two would do is fight." _I know that was harsh but Kim was just being mean... I'm not about to say I want to be Shego's friend... nope... no way... no how... but I am going to say that I don't want to hold her profession against her as a person... heck, I don't like doctors... all those big needles and big words they use... but I don't hold it against the Mrs. Dr. Possible... and she's a brains surgeon... they use a fancy dremel tool to cut the top of a guys skull off... now how sick and wrong is that?..._

I could see the hurt I'd just put on Kim's face, but I wasn't going to budge on this, and I knew she'd come around soon enough. And as I expected, a few moments of silence later I saw her stance relax a bit and heard her sigh before she said, "Okay, you've got a point. I do hold a grudge against her that is professional, but how can you expect me not to, she has tried to kill me on several occasions?"

"First, you're better than that, you don't need to hold a grudge. Second, she's never tried to kill you, it's always been Drakken that has the hair-brained schemes, she's just along for the ride and to fight you, she'd be bored if you were dead." _two points to the Ronman... and I'm not gonna try for three... I learned my lesson last week..._

"Okay, I give. But you better call me as soon as you get in a stitch."

"If, KP, _if_ things get hairy, I will."

"Don't worry about that one, Kim, he will. If he doesn't, we're going to have words." _I don't like the sounds of that..._

"Okay, deal." _glad that's over with... _"I'm gonna go clean up, I'm not sure where we're even going. It could be some restaurant that she plans on commandeering the kitchen from for all I know, and I don't want to show up looking like a bum, now do I?"

"Not if you're going to show up with me, you're not."

It wasn't 30 minutes later and I gave Kim a quick hug before climbing on the, now Wade free, hovercraft. As per Shego's instructions, he wasn't allowed to track me, and since he'd been teaching me how to fly this thing,_ in the case of somehow they manage to jam his signal we don't go down in a fiery fury_ , I took the controls and contacted Shego. She simply confirmed that I was driving, not Wade, and sent me the coordinates. Bonnie and I were both shocked to find they were in Upperton, in a rather ritzy part of town, actually a part of town that was know for it's penthouses, _Shego owns a penthouse in Upperton?... I knew she got paid good... but... maybe I'm in the wrong business..._ Bonnie seemed to be on the same page I was, "Ron, before you think about it, NO. I know it looks profitable, but 'to a dark place this line of thought will take us. Great care we must take'(1)."

"'I want more. But I know I shouldn't'(2)."

"If you go evil, I might have to start helping Kim stop you."

"What you're not going to join me? I'm hurt."

"It wouldn't be fair to the rest of the world if you had a secret weapon at your disposal." _Okay, I just got confused..._

"What secret weapon?"

"This one." Before I could react she dove across the empty space between our seats and started kissing me. I was at her mercy, _and to be honest... I wasn't complaining..._

When her 'assault' eased off to let me breathe I said, "I surrender now, lock me away and torture me for thinking such evil thoughts that you had to use such a weapon against me." My humor was appreciated and rewarded with a less aggressive kiss, the kind that makes my brain functions cease and desist.

Fortunately, I had hit the autopilot as soon as our little discussion about me going bad again began, because I was in no position to fly, _my focus was on more pressing matters_. We were finally interrupted by the beeping that indicated we were approaching our destination. "So, no more thoughts about being evil."

"You might have to remind me once in a while, by using that secret weapon on occasion."

"I only use that on bad boys."

It took me a second, but I came up with a plan, "Is there a difference between evil and bad?"

She didn't answer, just smiled and with a peck on my cheek said, "Oh look, we're here."

**Bonnie's POV**

I was blown away, for being two toned, the house was gorgeous. Obviously it was green and black, but it wasn't gaudy or overdone, _actually I kinda liked it... wonder how much a place like that costs?..._

The somehow invisible vehicle we were in stopped over the enclosed, and completely private, back yard and Ron took the controls grumbling to himself, "This thing will make international flights unchecked while you sleep in back, but it can't even land itself. Something to do with being too difficult for the cheap model's computer to handle." As soon as we got below the tree line, I saw Ron flip the switch to disable the cloak, "Don't want to surprise her more than we have to."

He didn't have anything to worry about, Shego was already coming out the sliding glass doors in the back of her house, _bet they're bullet proof... actually I'd bet the whole house is built to last a nuclear holocaust intact... _"Nice ride. Where'd you pick it up, Mad Scientist Garage?" She was dressed in a full pajama outfit, _looks warm_, that was again green and black in an interesting block design (3).

Ron looked a bit nervous when he answered, "No, I think it was this place in Kentucky called Fort Knox Gold Depository. We got quite a deal on it."

"So cheap you might say you _stole_ it?"_ what's going on?... someone fill me in..._

"I wouldn't call it stealing, it's more of a commandeering for the good of mankind on a more permanent basis."

"Call it what you like, it's the same thing. And don't tell me your not excited about the idea of stealing something, I remember when you were evil. You enjoyed every minute of it." _no way... he didn't do anything with her... did he?..._

I decided to make my confusion know, "Okay, time out. What are you talking about stealing? Ron is one of the good guys remember? And you," I poked Ron in the chest, "What is she talking about you being evil, and enjoying it?" _someone better start explaining things... five minutes ago please..._

Shego was the first to answer me, apparently having no problems with my questions, "That hovercraft right there used to belong to my employer, you know him as Dr. Drakken, and after they caught us this last time they, as Ron put it, commandeered it. I'll have you know, Stoppable, I will be getting that back sometime. I really liked that one."

Ron just had a sheepish look that was on the verge of begging her not to kill him, "So, Ron? She answered her part of my question, your turn."

I wasn't in the mood for him to avoid answering me, and I think he could tell because he started right away, "Well you see, I kinda got turned evil by one of her employer's whack inventions and almost took over the world. And she might be right about me enjoying myself, I mean I was 16 years old and on the verge of global domination, of course I was enjoying myself."

I tried to remember when this happened, but the only thing I could think of was, "Zorpox? You were the crazy villain that created that crazy weather machine and almost took over the world?"

"Um, if I say 'yes' are you going to be mad?"

"Translation Kitten: yes Ron Stoppable is Zorpox."

I was shocked, but I didn't miss her nickname, _I **don't** do nicknames... well except Bon-Bon... and that's only because he's special_, "My name is Bonnie, or do you have a memory problem, _Freak_.?"

"Bon-Bon, don't do this. The reason you were allowed to come is because she didn't want to fight, so let's just breathe."

"I don't think so Buffoon, move. No one calls me a freak."

I'm not sure what was going through my mind, but I said something I really wish I hadn't, "Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't insult the real freaks by including you with them." I saw a hand on Ron's shoulder, then him flying away from me, directly followed by a close up of the hand that was on his shoulder clenched into a ball.

When I cleared my head I saw Shego and Ron in a no-advantage lock-hold laying on the ground, "Say it Stoppable, same as last time."

"I don't think so. It's your turn. I thought you wanted a peaceful evening?"

"I wasn't expecting your girlfriend to me so mouthy."

"She just doesn't like nicknames."

"And, I don't like to be called a freak."

They both struggled, trying to get an upper hand, but they were in a stalemate. "Will you two get up off the ground and _try_ and act like adults?"

"When I get through with Ron, I'm so going to kick your, umph. Stoppable!" Ron's knee found it's way into her ribs.

"Don't threaten her."

"Fine." Ron wasn't struggling any more, and after a few more failed attempts to free herself Shego said, "You know, maybe Kitten there is right."

"Are you giving?"

"No, I'm calling a truce."

"I'm not letting go till I here those magic words."

"I'm not going to say it."

Ron just sighed and let his head rest on the ground, "I can sit here all evening if I have to, but that means no food."

Her eyes turned to slits, "You do realize I could light up and you'd be very uncomfortable don't you?"

She was right, but I also noticed why she didn't, her hands would have lit her long hair in the process, _beautiful hair... too much for my taste... but still beautiful_, "I don't think you'll do that. All you have to do is say two simple words, that's it."

"Grr. Next time you come to stop the Doctor, I'm going to take you out and let Kimmie handle the guards. Fine, Monkey's Rule, now let go!" With a smug look on his now dirty face he obliged her, "Now Kitten, I give everyone a nickname, like it or not your's is Kitten and more than likely I'll call you some other things before the night is through, especially the way things are going so far. Ron here is either Buffoon or Stoppable, and Kim is either Kimmie or Princess. I don't care what you call me, I've been called a lot in my days, but I will _NOT_ be called a freak, understand?"

I understood her perfectly, but due to the proximity of her nose to mine I didn't have the intestinal fortitude to speak. Ron spoke for me, "Hey, Sparky. Can we get this over with, I'm getting kinda hungry."

As she backed off, her glare remained on me, "Aren't you always hungry?" Finally relenting her attack on me, she faced him, "Alright, I'll show you the kitchen and the bathroom so you can clean up again."_Well ain't this just a wonderful way to start the evening..._

The kitchen was... well I think emaculate might be an adequate word to describe it, and even that could be an understatement. I'm thinking _Iron Chef_ and _Cooking with Emeril_ would be jealous of this kitchen. Three people could be working in this thing at the same time and never get in each other's way, there were two ovens, three stoves (one electric and two gas), I counted 3 stainless steel doors built into the wall (which I guessed to be two refrigerators and one freezer), two large double sinks and a small single one; not to mention the counter space, three walls had two foot deep counters and then you add the island in the middle, and all of it was done in a deep green and black marble, needless to say I was impressed. And so was Ron by the way his jaw hit the floor. "So, um yeah. What do you want to eat, Shego?"

"Surprise me, I like just about anything you can make with what I have in this kitchen. And yes it is fully stocked so whatever you want you will find. I'm going to go clean up, I'll be back down in a while."

She started to walk towards the door, "Any allergies? I don't want to accidentally poison you."

Without stopping she said, "If it's in this kitchen I can eat it."

As soon as she was out of sight I turned to see what Ron was doing, and ended up having to snap him out of some sort of trance looking at the spot where she'd just disappeared, "Those eyes don't need to be wandering. Besides, isn't she a bit old for you?"

"Only a few years... er um I mean, yeah, way too old." he was doing his little fidgety dance in place trying to think of a way to weasel out of this one. Fortunately for him I couldn't really blame him, she was stunning, _and I think she was putting more swing in her step than necessary_. "So what does my badical girlfriend want to eat?" _good way to get brownie points back though..._

"Hmm, something that will knock her pants off, well not literally. Let's see what she has." we started walking towards the refrigerators when I saw something I'd missed before, "LOBSTER."

"What?"

Pointing to the tank built into the counter, I said it again, "Lobster, with garlic mashed potatoes." Getting down on my knees I noticed that these weren't banded and there were little fish swimming around in there too, "I'll take that one, and if I had to bet, Shego likes a big meal so get her that one."

Ron knelt behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist and put his chin on my shoulder, "So, we go for the fancy razzle and dazzle style?"

"What do you mean 'we', I don't remember agreeing to help you cook."

"Did I forget to mention that when I asked if you wanted to come with me? How forgetful of me." When my elbow playfully found his ribs he added, "Then again, I guess you could go keep _her_ company." Before I could give him another nudge he kissed me in that soft spot where my neck meets my shoulders, the one spot that I can't move for a couple seconds afterwards because my mind feels like it was on a Tilt-a-Whirl.

"So not fair, you can make me loose control of my motor functions, but I still don't know how to get to you."

"Yeah, you do, you just don't know you do." At that he stood up and offered his hand to help me off the floor. "Well, all we need to do now is find the potatoes and seasonings. The pots and pans are easy to find."

I looked where he was looking, and sure enough I'd completely missed them hanging above the island. But they were well out of Ron's reach, which explains why I missed them, but it made me wonder how to get to them. I asked Ron, "How do you get them down? Stand on the counter?" He smirked and started to put his arm around my shoulder, but instead of embracing me he kept reaching; when he stopped the rack slowly began it's decent to a more manageable height, _fancy... variable height, mechanically operated pot rack... maybe crime does pay..._

It was about 20 minutes later when Shego did come back down, this time cleaned up and in a modest but form fitting dress, _does she have anything that doesn't show off her curves?_ "Is that lobster I smell?"

"Yeah, I saw the tank and used my persuasive techniques to convince him to go with lobster."

"Well, looking at you, I'd say you definitely have the ability to persuade him to do just about anything." I wasn't sure how to take a direct complement from her considering we just had an all out brawl in her back yard, "Where is he anyway?"

"Cleaning up, again. He somehow got dirty." I tried not to lip off, but it slipped.

"That's what happens when you have to defend someone else's big mouth."

"Alrighty then, where were we Bon-Bon?" I'd missed his return, and he was either oblivious to what was going on or he was sticking his neck out to keep the peace. I'd like to think he was trying to keep the peace, but his nonchalant posture and goofy grin still on his face made me lean more towards the idea he was just dense.

"We were about to finish the vegetables."

He curled his nose, "I may be a decent cook, but I don't think I'll ever like my greens."

"Look around, Stoppable."

Doing what he was told he realized why she'd said that, "No, I didn't mean the décor or you or the fact you like green or-"

He stopped when she held up a hand, "I'm just giving you a hard time, you really need to relax. I'm not going to hurt you, well unless you do something stupid like get between me and Rockwaller over there." She looked like she was in deep thought for a second, "Nope I don't like it, I'm gonna stick with Kitten."

Before I could move I felt a set of hands on my waist, "I think someone needs some Ronshine."

As much as I wanted to smack her, the idea of Ronshine won out. But, as soon as I turn to face him Shego said, "Uh-uh, not gonna happen, you got a meal to finish. And I don't want to have my kitchen decontaminated because you two couldn't control yourselves." Ron looked at me apologetically and settled for a quick kiss before returning to cooking, while I went to set the table for the three of us.

With the ring of silverware on crystal Ron announced, "Dinner is served." I came back from the bathroom and Shego came from what I assumed was the den, "I hope it's up to your specs, 'cause this is a one time deal. Not that I wouldn't mind having your kitchen, but this is just awk-weird having dinner with someone who fights my best friend for a living."

Shego just shrugged, "It pays the bills." _and then some, I'm sure... look at this place... it had to have cost a fortune..._

I was about halfway through my meal when I couldn't hold it anymore, "Why did you start this whole mess to begin with?"

A hand under the table grabbed mine, accompanied by a soft, "Don't start anything, I really don't want to fight at the dinner table."

"Stoppable," he turned to face her, "Shut up." He calmly obliged her, "And you, while I typically don't like lip from people, but for having a spine and speaking your mind to someone who can obviously kick you high school cheerleading ass to Lowerton I'll answer you." Taking another bite before continuing, "Before I do though, I might warn you, if your boyfriend here goes missing there's a good chance I kidnapped him to because I was in the mood for a good meal. Don't worry, I'll return him in one piece."

"Hey!..."

Ron was going to protest but was cut short by a dagger being thrown by Shego's eye's, "What did I tell you? That's right, I said shut up." Ron immediately took a bite to verify he got the message 5-by-5. "The reason I started this 'mess', as you call it, is because Ron single-handedly stopped the Doctor's last attempt to get some cash flow. Kimmie didn't do a thing except take out maybe a dozen guards. The one man wrecking crew sitting beside you took out at least three squads of some of the best trained henchmen money can buy, hacked our, excuse me _their_, hovercraft so that little computer whiz could use it as a temporary holding cell for the blue guy, then proceeded to march down and smart mouth me." She took a break to enjoy another melt in your mouth bite of lobster, "Yep, he's definitely gonna go missing a couple times. Anyways, normally when someone gets lippy with me, bad things happen to them. The only person who had ever stood a chance was Princess, but in less time than it takes for a lair to self-destruct he had me on the ground and in restraints. He became one of two people on a list of those who have beat me, and I had to know whether it was a fluke, he was actually _that_ good, or the improbable, but possible, answer that I'm just getting slow."

I whispered to Ron, "Or old." hoping she wouldn't hear me.

She apparently did hear me, but didn't jump over the table about it, "I'll have you know I'm only 22, that's 4 or 5 years older than you sweetheart, so deal with it." _dang she's got good hearing..._

"What about the bet? Why did you want Ron to go on a date with Kim?" This is really what I wanted to know, I mean the other stuff was important, but we'd already figured that much out.

"I like a good competition, contrary to what people think, I don't want Drakken to take over the world. I mean seriously, everyone stroking his ego would be bad, if he ever did get into a position where he might succeed, I'd probably take it from him. I don't think I'd stop him, but as soon as my current contract ran out, I'd take it from him and probably take some nice title like Potentate, Prime Empress, or maybe just Supreme One... yeah I like that. But, back to the topic at hand, I'm just working for him because he pays good, there's good benefits, and I get to figh that goody-goody cheerleader who thinks she's all that and a bag of chips."

Ron raised his hand like a kid in grade school, Shego nodded his direction, "That still doesn't answer the question, why did you want me and Kim together?"

"Not did, _do,_ but obviously that isn't gonna happen anytime soon. Fine, the reason I want you two together is because she's a better fighter when she gets close to you." Ron and I looked at each other then back at her, not quite sure what she was saying, "Okay, let me draw you a picture. Kim is dating Joe Schmo and is a decent fighter, a fair challenge, but I can win if I put everything I have into the fight, it's kinda like a really hard practice. Then let's say she gets dumped by said Joe Schmo, that day she can't fight worth crap, I've had punching bags that hit back harder than her. Okay are you following so far?" I nodded, doing my best not to smack her for being so condescending, "Good, now she may suck that day, but the next week it's like someone lit a fire under her. I have to put everything I have in the fight just to stay on my feet, she's good, a real challenge for me, what I like in a fight. Then a week or so goes by and she finds another 'hottie' to go all goo-goo over, and she's back to being a hard practice. It took me a while to figure out what was causing her chaotic performance, it's harder to get surveillance on her personal life than you'd think, and saw the pattern. She is at the top of her game when she is leaning on you in her personal life, during that week or two every source I used said that there was really no difference in the way you two acted and the way a typical high school couple that had been going out for months acted. So, my conclusion was to make her always at the top of her game by making you two realize you belong together and she'd always be leaning on you rather than whoever the newest Fabio is."

I really wasn't sure whether to be pissed that she only wanted them together for her own selfish reasons or because she broke the rule, _everyone knows the rule_. But just to give her the benefit of the doubt I asked, "You do realize you broke the rule don't you."

"Yeah, I know. The Seniors' tried to talk me out of it, because it would be 'against tradition' but I was tired of waiting."

"Time Out! I keep hearing about this _rule_, but I don't know what this rule is. Apparently, I'm the only one left out of the circle on this one, will someone please fill me in." _oh yeah... he doesn't know about the rule..._

Shego beat me to the punch, "I don't see how it can hurt now, but the rule was something to the effect of no one's allowed to tell you and the firecracker you work with that you were meant for each other. I'll bet even Kitten here has known for a while and was probably a nervous wreck when you first started going out, am I right?"

He turned to me, "You mean to that's the reason you were so on edge about Kim and me being friends?" then as if a brick hit him in the head, "OH, and that explains why Monkey Boy and all the other pretty guys were jealous, they thought that she was spending time with me because we were 'supposed' to get together." _ding ding ding... we have a winner..._

"Yeah, like I told Kim, I was afraid I was going to end up being the push you two needed to get together. I finally got over that, and now I'm not worried about her, we came to an understanding."

"You know I'd never leave you just to go out with someone else. I may not be the brightest, but that would be suicide."

"Just for my own twisted curiosity, how long have you had a thing for Kimmie?"

Ron, got real quiet and looked at me, "Go ahead answer her, I'm kinda curious too. Don't worry, I won't get mad, I have you now and that's all that matters."

"Okay," he still wasn't sure, but he looked across the table at Shego, "About five minutes after I met her. Back when I still thought girls were gross and had cooties, I had a thing for her."

"So you've been lying to her and everyone else for the last 13 to 14 years? Or have you just been lying to yourself and not letting her see it?"

"I like the way your kitchen is set up, that all from Dr. Drakken?"

"No. But nice try on changing the subject, you were saying?" _point for Shego..._

"Fine, I've been trying to lie to myself and make sure no one else found out. Apparently, the only person I fooled was her. Did you really know?"

"Please Ron, Monique thought you two were going out the first time she met you." I was laughing at the idea of someone _not_ picking up the idea, _before I came around of course..._

"Monique? And she didn't tell me? Wait, when did she tell you?"

"Saturday, when she forced Possible and me to go shopping together with her. Shopping it turns out is a good bonding experience for us, we might have to do that more often."

"Okay, I'm getting a headache from TMI overload."

I turned to Shego, "Did you say this wasn't from being a villain?"

"Yeah, nothing you see here was bought with illegal funds, and nothing was stolen either. This is my place from before I got into villainy."

Ron's head popped up, "Wait, you're telling me that everything here is legit? As in I could have Wade run the papers and it would all be yours and the government couldn't touch it?"

"Yep, but you're not going to. This place is under my real name, I have a couple alias' that I use for shady dealings, but if it has my name on it, then it's completely clean. And I'd appreciate if no one finds out about this place, if they did they would also have my real name and would be able to find all of my legal holdings and try to take them away from me, claiming they aren't."

"Global Justice doesn't even know your real name?"

"Are you kidding me? They have a better chance of finding Jimmy Hoffa than finding my real records."

My curiosity won out, "So... What is your real name?" Unfortunately the only response I got was a rather rich laugh, "I'll take that as you aren't going to tell me."

"You'd be taking that right, like I said _no one_ knows my real name besides my family. And they're under threat of death if they reveal it. I haven't even told the Doctor for fear he'd hold it over me."

Conversation was lighter the rest of the meal, it was by no means comfortable, but the long awkward silences were avoided. I came to the realization that Shego is a lot like me, she sees what she want and goes for it, _and I made sure she didn't want Ron... I really didn't need any competition... not that she would be any competition for me... but still_. I also found out that Ron doesn't know how to take complements, I swear if he would have gotten any redder you wouldn't have been able to tell him from an overgrown tomato.

**Ron's POV**

We were finally getting out of there 30 minutes after the meal was done. First, Shego wanted me to do the dishes, just to make sure I hadn't used some slow acting poison and needed to get to the antidote; then, her and Bonnie got to talking and I swear they talked a mile a minute and all of it was in that crazy code talk that I found out isn't only a high school thing. It was weird that they hit it off so quickly, Shego is on the verge of antisocial, and Bonnie doesn't take lip from anybody, but somehow they clicked.

I stuck out my hand to say goodbye, "I hope we're even now."

"Oh, we're more than even. You got a gift in the kitchen, but just because we're even doesn't mean I won't kidnap you for a decent meal once in a while. It's not that I can't cook, 'cause you saw my kitchen, you can't have something like that and not use it, but a meal tastes so much better when you don't have to slave over a hot stove to get it."

"If he goes missing, I'm going to bring this world and the next knocking on your door." _easy Bonnie..._

"I'm thinking not, because if anyone ever finds out about this place..." her eyes bore holes into me as I gulped, "Well, let's just say they won't."

"I promise I won't tell anyone where you live, but I can't guarantee that Wade didn't find some way to track me. He walked me through disabling the transponder on this thing, but who knows how many other ways he knows to track it, or me."

"Don't worry about the super genius, part of the reason I took so long to get back to you was because I had to find something on him to keep him quiet. I knew there was no way he'd let you come without finding some way to track you, so I did a little digital digging of my own." an evil smirk crawled across her face, "I found out right before you got here where he lives, so while you started supper, I called him and let him know that it would be best for his health if he forgot everything he saw today."

"Did you just say you know where Wade Load lives? That is something JG has been trying, since we started doing contract work for them, to figure out."

Bonnie looked confused, "You mean you've never met the computer geek that sends you all over the world, and you don't even know where he lives?"

"That's right Kitten, Wade Load is the hermit that runs the world from that little room. If there is something on a computer, you can bet he can access it and more than likely control it, if he can't when you ask just give him a few hours tops."

"There's no way he can hack the government stuff, can he?"

I figured I would take this one, "He's 'borrowed' Russian spy satellites for us on missions."

"Dang it, we had the US, Great Britain and China's systems down, we hadn't gotten to Russia yet."

"He sounds more dangerous than any villain I've heard of so far." _she has a point... he is in a position for global domination_, "I guess it's a good thing he works for the good side."

"Good and bad are all perspective."

"Well, we better get going. It was a pleasure meeting you in a less... violent way."

"The pleasure's all your's I'm sure." _full of ourselves are we?_, "Just do me a favor, keep him in line. I'm looking forward to meeting him again, given a few months of decent training he would be running par with Kimmie, if he's not already."

I knew better than to even joke that I was holding back and that I was really just as good as KP, "Not my thing, the whole save the world hero gig is hers. But, Bonnie's right, we better get going."

With a Cheshire grin Shego called after us, "You two behave yourselves."

I waved a hand over my shoulder as the ramp pulled itself up behind us

"I'm kinda tired, you wanna crash in the back for a while?"

"What about flying?"

"Remember it can fly itself, it just can't land." _stupid thing... why does Dr. Drakken have to be such a cheapskate?..._

"Hmm, try and get some rest here in this uncomfortable chair or go curl up on a cot with my hunk of a boyfriend? That's a tough one, I might have to think about it for a minute." _I'm a hunk?... I didn't know I was a hunk... I wonder who else thinks I'm a hunk... wait, it doesn't matter... the only thing that matters is my girlfriend thinks I'm a hunk... or is she just trying to be nice?... no, she wouldn't lie to me... which means I am a hunk... sweet..._

"Don't think too long or I'll already be out when you get back here." She was right behind me as I made my way to the fold out bed, "We only have another 15 or 20 minutes till we get home, but a nap sounds like a really good idea right now."

I was promptly pushed onto the mattress, "Then lay down so I can." I turned to face her as she curled up half beside me and half using me as a pillow, "See, isn't this more comfortable?" _I couldn't have said it better myself_, my arm found it's rightful place snaked around her curved frame and I pulled her a bit closer, she groggily moaned "G'night." as her breathing became steady. I wasn't too far behind her, but I took a second to look down at the beautiful woman in my arms and thought, _I have to be the luckiest guy on the planet..._

It couldn't have been very long later when I was woke by a stirring beside me, "Ronnie, pweez... I know yo... but, i want you to... right, as always..." _interesting dream_, then I realized I had a problem. A quite noticeable problem if she woke up, _I hate being a guy once in a while... not that I want to be a girl again... too many hormones... but at least I'd be able to face the world when I first wake up without announcing the contents of my dreams to everyone..._ I could see the clock from here and saw I had a few minutes to clear my head.

"Good morning, well I guess evening." I opened my eyes again to meet hers, _I must have dozed off again... oh crap..._ "What? What's going on?" Apparently, I showed my panic just a bit.

"No everything is just fine, just not used to waking up in a hovercraft. That's all." I lied, but how could I explain my little problem, _that I did get rid of thankfully_, without things getting awk-weird.

"Are you sure it's the hovercraft, and not something else? Maybe someone?"_ I swear women can read men's minds on occasion..._

"Yeah, it could be because of something else, but not someone. Nope, I really don't think waking up next to you is a problem. Definitely makes it worth opening my eyes."

"Then why are you sweating and nervous?" _okay, I give... I can't lie to her..._

"Okay, the truth is, I woke up before you did once and had a... problem. And when you woke me up this time, I was worried my problem was still there."

"What was this 'problem'?" _can't you just leave well enough alone?... maybe Kitten isn't so far off... she's definitely as curious as a cat..._

"Guy problems, the kind we have sometimes when we wake up."

Her eyes drifted down, then came back to meet mine with the obvious question on her face, I just nodded. "It's nothing to be ashamed about. If I would have woke up first I don't think I would have complained." _not what I needed to hear right now... anything provocative might put me at attention again_, "I wouldn't have done anything, but you have to believe me when I say there's nothing more I'd like to do right now than have this thing do a few passes around town while we got to know each other better. But before you start your protesting, I also agree with you, we aren't ready to take that step. But, just because we're not there yet, doesn't mean we can't fantasize about it until then." _undeniable logic... can't argue with her on this... I still wish I didn't advertise..._

"What would I do without you?" I leaned up enough to kiss her on the cheek.

"Probably be having this conversation with some other lucky girl." _yeah, right... that might have happened in some other reality..._

"I'm rather happy having this conversation with you. Never expected to have this conversation with anyone, I figured it'd be a while before I was ever in a relationship where this was even an issue." _actually I didn't figure I'd be in a relationship at all for a while... I hoped but thought I'd be single for a few more years..._

"I'm glad I'm having this conversation with you too, most of the time I would be the one trying to keep their hands off me. Now, I'm having trouble keeping mine off of you." I felt myself getting warm in the face, "Ronnie, before we send each other into meltdown mode, why don't you land so I can go take a cold shower and go to bed?" she laid her head back on my chest as she finished talking.

"Cold shower? I didn't realize I had that strong of an affect on you."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that, you had such a perfect track record tonight being all sweet and understanding, don't ruin it by teasing me." _she didn't tease me about my problem..._

"You have to get off of me so I can get up."

It looked like it took every ounce of strength she had to lift herself as she whined, "Do I have to?"

I laughed a little, "I wouldn't complain to waking up in the morning next to you, but I doubt my folks would be to happy about that one."

"Yeah, my mom might have a heartattack. And I'd never hear the end of it from my sisters." the mention of those two made my blood boil_, I thought the 'old' Bonnie was bad... each one of them is worse, and it comes in stereo..._

"I think I explained to them rather well that you were happy and that's all that matters. If they want to keep being stuck up, self cent-" my rant was cut short as she swallowed the last word in a deep kiss.

"Yes, you did. And I said thank you for sticking up for me. But you don't need to worry about them anymore, I'm living by a new motto, _never be normal_. If they don't like it, well tough." She finally got off of me and helped me up. "Now, let's be not normal and control ourselves."

I went to the pilot seat, disabled the auto-hover, and brought it down in her driveway. "Rockwaller residence, thank you for taking Stoppable Air Transit."

It was only 9:45 which meant she had 15 minutes till she had to be home, _dang school nights_, but that also meant we had 15 minutes we could stand outside in the cool air and keep each other warm, _don't you just love winter... I know I do..._ I swear time flies by when you least want it too, because it seemed that as soon as we got comfortable standing there wrapped up in my coat she had to go inside, "I'll see you tonight, and the real you in the morning." _man I wish I could let her see the real me tonight too... _

"Same to you Bon-Bon. Obviously you're going to have sweet dreams, having me in them and all, but I hope you get some rest too."

"You think you're so funny don't you."

"I don't think, I know."

"That's one of the reasons I like you, you can always make me smile."

"Are you making fun of me now?"

She just kissed me once more and said, "Good night." then disappeared through her door.

I'm not sure how long I stood there, both wishing I could have went in with her and trying to convince myself of the reasons I shouldn't. I eventually broke the spell holding me in place and called Wade to reconnect his control, so I could walk home and use the cold night air to clear my mind.

**Kim's POV**

_What am I doing?... I shouldn't be here... oh crap, here she is... it's too late to back out now..._ I reached out in the dark and put a hand on her shoulder, and faster than I expected she spun and grabbed my wrist, _impressive reaction time_. "Who's there? If you value your life, speak." _spunk..._

I found the light switch, revealing myself, "I came to talk to you, I don't want to fight."

"Breaking and entering is a crime, I thought you were supposed to stop people like that?" her typical snideness was back, _I don't have time for this..._

"Cut the crap, Bonnie, I'm here to talk about Ron." She shut up quick, "Let me speak my peace before you go off on me." she nodded as I took my hand off her shoulder, _I really shouldn't have done this... I'm a moron_, "I want you to know that I love Ron." I saw her take a breath to cut in, so I hurriedly kept going, "But, but I'm not in love with him." _I hope this is worth it,_ "Ron is more than just my best friend, more than family, but I don't think we are meant to work out as more than what we are right now." _as much as it hurts to say it_, "It doesn't make sense in my head completely," _because I'm not sure I believe part of it_, "so I don't expect this to make any sense at all to you. I don't even know why I'm here, I just what you to know where I stand."

"You could have called like a normal person."

"I could have, but I needed to talk to you face to face, _alone_." her eyebrow raised when I said that, "Ron means a lot to me, and I want to make sure he doesn't get hurt, whether that means on missions or at home."

The ice in her voice was gone, "I would never hurt Ron, if that's what you're trying to say."

"I didn't think you would, but I needed to hear that from you." I took a deep breath, _and here we go_, "Do you love him?"

As the weight of what I just asked sunk in, she collapsed on the couch, "You're afraid that this is just a crush, aren't you?" _read me like a book_, I just nodded in response, "Kim, I may not like you that much, but as my boyfriend's best friend, I think you deserve the truth." I braced myself for the worst so I wouldn't lash out and kill her on the spot, "Yes, I love Ron." a wave of awkward relief rushed over me, "I love Ron, and I'm in love with Ron."

I don't know why, but even though I believed her, I asked, "Are you sure you love him, that it's not just a crush that will go away and leave him in the wake of heartbreaks you tend to leave?"

I was nowhere near ready to hear what she said next, "He's the only man I've been with that I can say I loved. Brick was a crush because he's a hunk, but about as sharp as the broad side of a butter knife, and before Ron he was the strongest relationship I'd been in. I want Ron to be my first and, hopefully, only." It was my turn to sit down, "TMI?"

"Yes and no. I mean, yes because I really didn't need that mental picture. But, no because at least I know you're serious."

"What about him? Does he love me? You are his best friend, I'm sure he's told you."

"Wait, you haven't told him?" she looked at the floor as if hoping the answer was wrote on it, "We've talked about it, but I don't think it's my place to say either way."

"So you're going to leave me wondering, aren't you?"

I'm no Dr. Phil, but I knew enough to know they needed to talk this one out on their own terms, "If you want to know how he feels, be honest about how you feel, and ask him to do the same. I have a good feeling about it though."

"If I wasn't so tired I'd tell you what I thought about you and your psycho babble right now, instead I'm going to go have a good dream about Ron holding me all night long and yell at you tomorrow."

I smiled at her, _I can see why Ron likes her... maybe I was wrong about her... maybe_, "Alright, Bonnie. Good night."

Leaving was a whole lot easier than entering, I just walked out the door. _That sucked... but at least I know where they stand... now I just have to figure out where I fit..._

1 Yoda talking with other Jedi about the possibility of having to take control of the senate (Ep. III)

2 Anakin talking to Padme about wanting to be the best Jedi (Ep. III)

3 When writing this part the first thing I thought of was a drawing I'd seen on DA, so I got permission to 'use' it, and here is the original appearance of these PJ's created by MentalFloss: www . deviantart . com / view / 9019746 / (take out the spaces).


	11. The Unexpected

A/N: Sorry, about the massive delay. I hit a major writers block about two-thirds the way through and had to go back and rewrite it. (my muse didn't like where it was going)

There are a couple things I want to adress before we get going: One, there will be a certain Japanese term used in this chaper by Bonnie that is meant to be the loose (pun intended) translation of the word (you'll know it when you see it)

And just to be clear, I actually like Yori's character, I just needed an antagonist.

Ron has a few internal monologues about chivalry (no, it's not dead, it will live at least as long as I'm alive) that are a lot of my personal thoughts on the subject of treating a lady right and how I picture him thinking about things like that, I don't think they're OOC, but if you think so just drop a line.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible, if I did, I would be rich and my stories would be on TV rather than here.

* * *

**Bonnie's POV**

I was so excited I woke up before my alarm, _I finally get a real date with Ron... one that he's not cooking for me (or someone else)... and we can just relax with each other... I can't believe Mom said I couldn't go out last night... It's not like Wednesday was a real date... I am still hot about that... dang Shego... at least this is Friday, so I don't really have a curfew..._

I made my way downstairs for a bowl of cereal and noticed Ron had left his coat here yesterday after practice. He walked me home, _such a gentleman_, and stuck around and talked for a while, _till Mom made him leave... she doesn't like him too much... of course it could be that she listens to what my sisters are saying... I really can't wait to get out of here..._ It was warm yesterday afternoon, so he must have just forgot to grab it, _oh well, I'll just take it to him_. Picking it up though I realize it smells really good, _it smells like... well it smells like Ron... gee you're a smart one Bonnie... what else is it gonna smell like, Kim?... never mind, don't want to go there..._ I decided I would just wear it to Kim's place and give it back to him there, _he won't mind that I wore it..._

I was greeted by Kim at the front door, "Hey Bonnie. Isn't that Ron's coat?"

"Yeah, he kinda forgot it at my place yesterday."

"I can't believe it, Ron forgot a piece of clothing somewhere!"

I smiled at her mock shock, but had to play with her, "Are you saying he forgets clothes here too? Better not be anything more than a coat."

Unfortunately for me, we'd been playing this game for long enough, she knew the rules and what to expect, "Oh, not much. He just has half of my closet all to himself."

"Should I be jealous that he has enough clothes to fill his closet at home and half of yours or feel sorry for you that you can only fill half your closet." I took a jab at her limited, _at least in my opinion_, wardrobe.

"I'm gonna go with worried." When I raised an eyebrow in curiosity she finished, "A guy with that many clothes... you just might want to make sure he's on the right team."

Gonna play dirty, well two can do that, "And what about a girl with that _few_ of clothes?"

"KISS philosophy, Keep It Simple Stupid. I don't have to use my clothes to get attention, I'm just that good." _wow, she's getting good at this... I guess she has had practice with Shego..._

_**Knock**_

"Hola, Possible clan, and Bon-Bon."

A chorus of "Hey" "Hello" and "Good Morning" followed from everybody in earshot. And I made a point to say good morning in my own way, a small kiss on the jaw line, right where it almost disappears. I found out a few things yesterday, one of them being that spot, the spot that makes him loose control of his motor functions for a few seconds, _now we're even..._

When his eyes found mine he asked, "Do you want me to return that favor in public?" I'm pretty sure he caught the idea that I didn't like the thought, "Then I'd be careful, what goes around comes around."

"Are you threatening me?"

"Threat, promise, you can call it what you want." Then stepping away before I could come up with a comeback, "We'd better get to school, don't want to be late now do we?"

"Of course not Ron, you never want to be late." I couldn't help but laugh at Kim's sarcasm.

"Hey, just 'cause I have a reason not to get a detention doesn't mean you get to make fun of me for actually trying."

"I'm not making fun of you, why would you think something like that?"

"Sure KP." He looked back at me with an odd look, "Did I leave that at your place? I was wondering where I'd set it down."

I smiled when I saw he had another coat, "Yeah, do you mind if I use it today? It's already warm, and..." I stopped before I finished that thought, knowing it'd only give Kim another piece of ammo in our little game.

"And... What?" It was Ron asking, or else I would have just kept moving towards the door.

"And, it smells good."

The smile on Ron's face was worth the jibes I knew were coming from Kim, "Can't get enough of him, now you're stealing clothes just to smell him?"

"Hey, Ronshine come in many different containers. You can keep it as long as you want Bon-Bon." He was wrapping his arms around me in a semi protective fashion as he said it.

I couldn't help but pull myself closer to the original source of Ronshine, "Thanks."

"Come on you two, break it up or we will all be late."

We made a quick stop by my locker to grab my books before heading towards his, when he took my books out of my hands and began carrying them. I thought about giving him a speech about how women are equals to men, and that he didn't have to, but got the impressions that it would be a pointless argument because he probably did _want_ to, _chivalry isn't dead..._

"So are you excited about tonight?"

"Are you kidding, I don't know how you did it, but getting a table there in under a month I was told is impossible."

"Not when you're the Ronman and you saved the day by filling in for the chef when he got kidnapped and KP went off to save him."

"Is there anybody who doesn't owe you a favor or three?"

"Well, technically they owe Team Possible a favor, but you got a point, we do help a lot of people. We should start some type of pass it on thing, if you are unable to return the favor in some way, just keep it going, do something for someone else."

"I remember a movie about that, decent. I'm really looking forward to tonight, we can both just sit down and enjoy a date, a real date." I couldn't help it, I squealed that last part and half-way threw myself into his arms, _somewhere I now consider to be the most comfortable and safest place in the whole world_.

He helped me keep my balance from my almost dive and kept his arms firmly on my waist, "So am I, of course any guy with half a brain and any eyesight at all would agree with me." I was turning to say thank you for the complement in my own special way, only to notice he had a weird look on his face, "Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that only a stupid blind person could like you. What I me-" I stopped him by saying thank you, _well technically not 'saying'... but I think he got the point..._

"I know what you meant, and that kiss only confirmed it."

As we approached his locker I heard someone ask, _"Aren't they worried about Mr. Barkin?"_

"Are you kidding, there's no way Bonnie is scared of him, if anything it's the other way around. As for Ron, well if Barkin does show, he'll just stay behind her and try to support her while hiding in her shadow."

There was a small laugh that sounded like it was from inside a can, _"Anyways, I was just dropping in to give you an update on where Drakken was."_

Once I figured out who it was, I didn't give him a chance to finish, "There are going to be _NO_ missions tonight. Is that understood?"

_"That's not totally up to me."_ I think his video equipment was better than he wanted it to be right then because I'm sure the look I was throwing at him went right through the screen at him, _"I guess I can tell GJ that they have anything that might happen, everyone on radar seems to be at the soonest a week from being where we can know for sure what they are doing and how to stop them."_

"Easy Bonnie. Don't take out the fact that you can't get a date on Wade." _I'm not taking it out on Wade... but I can have fun with this..._

I faced the redhead, "That happens to be just as much your fault as it is his." I said pointing to the screen, "In fact, one could argue it's more your fault because he can't make Ron go through this little screen, but I'm pretty sure he's easily swayed by 16 styles of kung fu."

"Are you trying to say that I threaten Ron into coming with me on missions?"

"I'm not trying to say anything of the sort," _okay, enough of this game_, "Besides, I'm pretty sure that he's got a big enough heart that he'd be there whether you asked him to be or not."

"Bon-Bon," I heard him mumble as he started to nuzzle my neck, "that wasn't nice to Wade. I don't think he actually had a mission for us."

_"Ron's right, for once,"_ everyone, sans Ron, laughed at this, _"I was just calling to tell Kim I think I know where Drakken is working out of this time, I'm not for sure yet, but in a few hours I'll have an eye over the location to take scans for me."_

I remembered what Ron had said about his _eye's in the sky_ and chuckled to myself, "Sorry, Wade. I just have a tendency to get cranky when something has the ability to take away my Ron. And tonight is going to be special, it'll be our first date, kind of," when him and Kim both gave me a curious look I answered their unspoken questions, "Well, since we started going out, we've always been busy working on that dumb project, or he's had a mission, or I've had something that kept me busy. The closest we've had to a _date_ is the time he cooked me dinner, or maybe you could count the other day." everyone present shuddered at the thought, "So tonight he's taking me out to dinner."

"Where's he taking you Bonnie, Nacho Bueno?"

Ron didn't like her tone apparently "Hey, that is not what the Ronman calls a romantic evening. No, we're gonna try that place I filled in at last summer."

"Ron!" there was a warning, almost accusative tone to Kim's voice when she said that, and I think I heard a bit of worry too, _I wonder what he did this time..._

"What?" he apparently knew why she was mad, but was gonna try playing dumb anyways.

"What have we talked about, no calling in favors for personal reasons. I think this qualifies as personal."

"Well, technically, I didn't call in one of Team Possible's favors. I just called to see if I could get a table, and they said they'd be more than happy to reserve one in my name."

Giving up on arguing with him due to the time, she just growled, "You better get to class."

I still felt sorry for yelling at him, "And um, Wade?"

_"Yeah?"_

"Sorry again about yelling. I'll try not to yell at you any more... without a reason." _maybe I should make it up to him sometime..._

He managed to chuckle before signing off, _cute kid... too smart for his own good... but, he's really a good kid..._

**Ron's POV**

For the first time in I don't know how long, I was actually anxious to see my grade. We'd turned in and done our presentation in class two days ago, and now Mr. Barkin was going to tell us how good or horrible he thought we did. All I could really think was, _we better get a good grade on this... that visual alone should have guaranteed a 'B'... but what if it's not enough?... what if Bonnie and I didn't work hard enough?... what if I distracted her too much?... I know she distracted me, but I think I did my share of the work... what if we should have finished going over it that morning?... what if-..._

My downward spiral of self-doubt was interrupted by an hand taking mine, "Are you going to stand here staring at the door, or go in with me and see how we did?"

I hadn't realized I was already there and just staring blankly at the door like it was an alien invention, "I was just trying to work up the courage to face certain doom."

"I hope not, we put a good solid two weeks into that... thing. We'd better get something better than 'certain doom', or I might have to have a few words with the drill sergeant who thinks he can ruin my four-oh. Besides, with that visual you got, we have this one in the bag, no sweat."

"What if-"

"NO!" I was shocked to say the least, I wasn't expecting quite that strong of an argument, "No _what ifs_ allowed. What ifs just make you worry, we can't go back and change things now, so don't worry about it." _I wish I had her confidence... I would rather face an army of Shego's than see Bonnie get worked up if I screwed up..._

I knew I had to put on a smile to keep her happy, "Well, what are we waiting for, the bell to ring so we're late and get a detention?"

I opened the door and held it for her, "You don't have to do that you know."

"I know, I know, women are equals yada yada. Bonnie, you know me, who have I been a sidekick to for many years? That's right, a woman, I know women are equals, and in some cases superior to men, but that doesn't mean chivalry has to die. Now, before the bell rings and you get a detention for still being in the hall, get in here." _I wasn't trying to be mean or snappy... but can't a guy be a gentleman without offending someone?..._

She didn't argue with me and did as I asked, unfortunately as soon as I made it to my seat I heard my name roughly called from the front of the room, "Stoppable, please step outside with me for a minute." Knowing that it wasn't a request, I looked at Bonnie, who looked like she was about as confused as I was.

"Yes sir?"

"At ease, or I mean, take it easy. I just wanted to talk to you in private about this assignment." _I did so NOT cheat on this... I did my fair share of the work_, "I am impressed by the effort you put into this _and_ the results you got. I just want to know why you never put this much effort into school before, and what it will take to keep your... interest in school up." _okay, so maybe I overreacted... and is he complementing me?... this is weird... cool, but still very weird..._

"Well, I guess thanks for the whole 'impressed by the effort' thing. And as for being motor-vated, I never had a reason before to get anything better than my D for diploma. I'm not really sure why I cared this time, I could really have just let her do it, and she would have. There's no way she would have not done my stuff so she would have got the grade she wants. That's really weird, I had a chance to pull the ultimate slack job and I pulled my own weight, I really don't know what's up Mr. B."

"I think you should thank your muse, some people just need a little guidance to get the ball rolling in a good direction." _my muse?... he must mean Bonnie... I'm thinking she's more of a Siren... hmm, that could be cool... a siren muse..._ He reached for the handle, then stopped with it in his fist, "In my old age my eyesight isn't what it used to be, I have trouble seeing people holding hands in my classes anymore." As soon as my mind wrapped itself around the words he just said, I thought _Boo-Yah!_ He quickly added, "Anything more than that and I notice." _I can deal with that... Mr. B, you are awesome... well... okay I'll let that stand..._

I could hardly wait on him to get his large frame through the door, so I could find my seat again. _And guess what the first thing I did was... yep you guessed it... I took hold of her hand like it was a lifeline... **my** lifeline..._ She tried to pull away at first, _I'm hoping because she didn't want a detention_, but when I gave her my little grin that she can't say no to, her resolve to let go vanished, _today keeps getting better and better..._

Then I noticed another little thing that made my grin get even bigger, she was still wearing my coat. _Bonnie Rockwaller is wearing my coat... me, Ron Stoppable... when a girl wears a guys coat it's like she's making a public announcement that she's taken... and the beautiful young woman sitting next to me was comfortable wearing MY coat all day..._ I'm not sure the day could get any better, I knew nothing could go wrong today, it was perfect.

I thought about saying something to Kim about it, but thought better of it. She's still not the most comfortable around Bonnie, though she seems to have either gotten over me pretty good, or she's getting better at hiding how she feels about me. Then there's the fact Kim would say something like 'why are you still surprised?', which she would have a point, it's just taking me some time to realize Bonie does like me and I love her. _Wait... did I just say what I think I just said?... I thought I **liked** her... I thought I **like liked** her... I never said anything about love... but, it just came out... nothing pushed it... it flowed like it was natural... like it's just there, not to be questioned... the truth... wow... ... ... I, Ron Stoppable, am in **love** with Bonnie Rockwaller... Dang it feels good to say that..._

**Kim's POV**

I was on my way to lunch, usually it's a straight line from class to the cafeteria, but today I was making a detour to my locker. I needed to drop something off that was burning a figurative hole in my pocket. And what do you know, not five seconds after I opened my the door the screen in the back of my locker lit up.

"Hey Wade. What's the stitch?"

_"Nothing, well at least nothing in the mission front. You should be free and clear for tonight."_

"What do you mean?" _or rather how do you know what my plans are?..._

_"I mean, you probably won't have any missions today, so you can relax. Now, I'm glad you stopped though, I just got a hit on the site you might want to know about."_

"I thought you just said no missions today?"

_"I did, this hit wasn't a request for Team Possible, it was more of a message for Ron."_

I wasn't in the mood to try and play guessing games, "Wade, quit talking in riddles and just tell me what I need to know, please and thank you."

_"Someone left a message saying they were going to stop by later to see Ron. They didn't sign it, but my first guess is Shego. I could take the time to track it down, but that could take me a few hours. What I did see was the signal was sent through at least half a dozen satellite relays, I figured that was confirmation enough."_

I didn't think the words going through my head were appropriate for young ears like Wade to hear, _some I think would make a sailor blush_, "Alright Wade, thank you. I'll tell Ron at lunch. And don't call GJ just yet, just in case she's just trying to ruffle our feathers. Have them on speed dial though, for if she does show up."

_"Speed dial is slow, I'll just connect straight to Dr. Director's office."_

I really didn't want to know how he found her number, _there's the chance he doesn't know it... he just hacked GJ's comm system..._ "Thanks again." _ Now I get to go tell Ron he's going to have company..._

"KP! Are you ready for a mission?" I was completely confused, I had just talked to Wade and he said no missions, "The lunch lady has another 'identify the food' competition going." My stomach wretched at the idea of eating the mystery goop and trying to figure out what she dropped in the pot to make it.

"I'm gonna pass Ron. Maybe Bonnie is up for it."

"Nice try Kim, or should I say Princess? But he already tried to get me in on it." _excuse me?... only one person calls me Princess... and it isn't you..._

"That's not nice. Only the rich and infamous call her that. Okay, Kitten?"

I about choked, _he has a pet name for her?... this is just too good_, "Kitten! You call her Kitten, and you let him call you Kitten?"

"Don't even start that game. I got that name from the same person that named you Princess." _oh... never mind..._

_Well, sooner is better than later_, "You mean the green skinned woman who's stopping by later?"

Ron about choked on the bite he was taking, "Don't do that KP. It's not funny to scare people when they're eating."

"Notice, not laughing."

The blood drained from his face, and Bonnie was like _'Insta-Witch'- just add water_, "She is not showing up today. We got even on Wednesday, she has no reason to show up."

"Wade stopped me at my locker to tell me that there was a hard to trace message left saying they would stop by later to see Ron. Because of what it said, and because of the difficulty tracing it, we guessed Shego."

Ron finally got some color back, "You're probably right, but why is she giving me warning? And I thought she said once in a while, not 2 or 3 times a week?"

I wasn't sure what he was talking about, and Bonnie caught on, "She said she was going to kidnap Ron once in a while to cook her a decent meal, but would return him unharmed as long as no one interfered." _man she sounds really depressed... I guess I would be too if I was in her shoes..._

A normally quiet, but charming voice from beside me spoke up, "She wants the Ronman as much as Bonnie over there does."

"Well, I don't care what she wants, Felix. Ron's mine tonight, we are going out to eat on our first official date, and there's nothing, short of the end of the world that is going to stop it, anybody who gets in my way will feel pain in ways they didn't know pain could be felt." _Dang girl... hostile much?..._

"You gotta relax, girlfriend. Take a deep breath, come on... breathe in... breathe out." _I tend to agree with Monique on this one... chill..._

"Sorry, I just am sick and tired of interruptions." she seemed to cool down a little, _thank goodness... I thought she was gonna get violent_, then I saw a devious grin plaster itself across her face, "Hey, Kim, can I borrow your Kimmunicator? I want to talk to Wade for a second."

I wasn't sure what good that would do her, but Ron caught on quick, "No, you don't need to call and get her riled up. We'll deal with her when she gets here, okay?"

"I just figured that _maybe_ I could talk some sense into her. You know, woman to woman." I knew how those discussions went, and when they involve Shego they involve scorch marks on any and all walls.

The smooth voice from beside me spoke again, "I say we go with Ron's plan, no worries till she shows, then you _talk_ to her, and explain how you aren't up for cooking tonight. You made her sound normal enough to understand that at least."_ smooth Felix... smooth as Egyptian cotton..._

Bonnie pouted a while more about not being allowed to call her, but finally gave in, _with a little help of Ronshine that is... it's funny, it doesn't bother me any more... I mean, I don't know if anything really changed between me and Ron... I'm not even sure if my feelings for him have changed... ever... maybe I was just seeing what we've always had in a different light... maybe it never changed and we're better off now... I'll find out sooner or later... hopefully sooner..._

I had managed to drag myself through the rest of the day with the knowledge that I very well could be fighting Shego at any moment, only she didn't show. I stepped into the gym to start practice and heard Ron talking to Bonnie, "See, no one showed up to ruin tonight. Now aren't you glad you didn't call and make her mad so she would show up out of spite?"

"I guess." _she sounds about as happy as a wet cat_, "But there's also the possibility that it was just a joke, that someone just wanted to get you and Kim on edge for the day." _well it worked..._

"I guess, but that's a lot of work for a joke." _no kidding Sherlock_, "Wade said he worked on tracing it for a good hour, and still thought he was nowhere close." _wow... he didn't tell me that... Ron probably asked him to_, "Now, I better see a smile on that pretty face, you can't cheer with a frown."

I have never seen someone try that hard not to smile, but in the end she failed, "Fine, you win this time. Now let me give you your reward so I can try and focus on practice."

I didn't really care to watch the two love birds kissing, so I got practice under way. Everyone was doing great with the new routine, and as much as I hate to admit it, Bonnie's little changes made it better, _not a lot... but a little_. I was helping Tara put the finishing touches on her big tumble when I heard the familiar click of the gym doors, _so she did decide to show up_. I looked up, expecting to see a tall, long-haired, woman in a jumpsuit, _oh how wrong I was... it was something so much worse for Ron..._

**Bonnie's POV**

I heard the Gym door open and quickly started in that general direction, but stopped when I saw it wasn't who I was expecting, _thank all that is good... I really am not in the mood to get beat up by Shego... but I wasn't about to let her take Ron away tonight..._ Instead of a green on black jumpsuit, I saw a school girl uniform that I thought had to have been altered, because it was _way_ too short, _okay... so who's the little (for lack of a nicer term) geisha?... and why is she walking towards the only male in this room?... the only male in the school with the courage to join the cheer squad... the only male that has the pleasure and honor of being **my **boyfriend... Is she hugging my boyfriend?..._

Kim walked up to them and started talking, I noticed she hadn't let one of her arms fall off of his shoulders and thought it was best for everyone if I went over and spoke before I blew a fuse and did to her what I was hoping Shego wouldn't do to me. "Hey Ron. Who's this?" I tried to sound as nonchalant and passive as I could, and I think I did pretty good for myself.

There was an awkward silence broken by this strange, young, soon-to-be-dead, geisha, "My name is Yori." _where have I heard that name before?... I know I've heard it_, "I have assisted Stoppable-san on a few missions in the past and consider him one of my dearest friends." _oh yeah... now I remember you... super ninja girl, or something like that... I'd still kick your..._

Another awkward silence followed her curt answer, "So, it's really a surprise to see you here." While I agreed with her, I think Kim forgot one word: _unwelcome... it's an unwelcome surprise to see you here..._

"Why are you surprised, I left a message on your website and assumed that the message had been passed along? Was I wrong in assuming that you were informed?" _don't play coy..._

"Wade was having trouble finding where the message came from, you might try signing stuff like that." _way to go Kim... let her know how it's done..._

"My humblest apologies, the super secret ninja laptop I used on the flight here must have very strong encryption. It would take him many days to find the source, if he were ever able to."

Ron spoke up exactly what I saw on Kim's face, "Hold on there, Wade doesn't take more than a few hours on anything. We told him not to worry about it because we figured it was Shego."

It was Yori's, _her name even sounds slutty_, turn to be confused, "Why would the Green One be coming here?"

"Long story that ends up she wants to kidnap me on occasion to cook for her again." before she had a chance to ask anymore questions he turned to Kim, "So KP, you wanna show Yori around town?" _yeah... pawn her off on someone else... and can she please let go of you?... I'm really starting go get angry..._

Kim flushed, "I kinda have plans." _I wonder what she's got going..._

"Are you two not... together?" Kim managed to shake her head but before she, _or anyone else for that matter_, could talk, a huge grin spread across her little imitation innocent face, "Then it is settled, Stoppable-san will have the honor of escorting me, and reacquainting me with his hometown." _escorting... you look like you belong to an 'escort' service..._

Fortunately for her, Ron removed himself from her grasp (which had gotten tighter after she found out Kim and him weren't together), "I kinda got plans too, the kind I can't just blow off." _that's a subtle way of stating it..._

"I thought Possible-San had plans, and you two are not together?" She looked confused.

I decided to quit beating around the bush and just get it over with, "Hi, I'm Bonnie Rockwaller. You probably don't remember me, but if you don't quit hanging all over my boyfriend, there's a chance you might get to see my not-so-peoplely side." I had the biggest smile I could muster in what I feared was a vain attempt to cover my contempt for her at this point.

"Bon-Bon, take it easy." He put his arm around my waist and drew me near trying to calm me down.

"Am I to understand that you are dating Stoppable-san?" she apparently thought the idea was profound, _now come on... someone besides me has to realize that Ron is very possibly the greatest guy in the world... well besides me and Kim... and apparently 'her'... but is the idea that someone besides Kim is dating Ron really that amazing?..._

"Dang, she catches on fast doesn't she?"

Ron cast a glance in my direction to tell me to back off a little, "Yes, Yori, this is my girlfriend Bonnie. We are going out tonight, and we can't really blow off our plans. The place we're going has a waiting list longer that the Seniors' driveway." _yeah, which means you no touchy my Ronnie... or I might remember some of those moves I saw Ron use on Shego... and vise versa..._

The little vixen pulled the shy, look down and away, card, "Then what am I supposed to do this evening?" _I don't know... and I don't care... just as long as it doesn't involve interrupting our plans..._ When no one came up with any options the demon in a school girl outfit made a horrid suggestion, "Is it possible to change the reservation to a table for three?"

If Ron's hand hadn't been holding me in place, there's a good chance the floor would have had an indentation that matched her face, "I can call and ask, but I doubt it will work. The reservation list is forever and a year long, so I'm sure the tables are all claimed by now." _I wouldn't have offered to call... but that's just me... you better hope they won't..._

Long story short, Ron and I now have third wheel for tonight. If I thought it wouldn't cause problems between Ron and me, I would have wiped that slutty little smile off her face using a good backhand. However, given the fact she was his friend, I restrained myself to mentally calling her every name I could think of, then found the _Book of Plumbing Words_ and kept going.

**Ron's POV**

_What have I done to deserve this torture?... seriously... I think the world is dead set against me or something... I can't catch a break at all... and to top it off, I know this is pissing Bonnie off... it's not that I didn't want to see Yori... just not tonight... wait until I don't have a date with the woman I love... still feels great to say that... grr, I keep getting sidetracked... Why couldn't she have waited until tomorrow?... is that really too much to ask?..._

I pulled up to Bonnie's on my scooter (she was the only one with a car, and Mom wouldn't part with the keys to the station wagon, Dad couldn't even convince her it was a good idea), _time to face the music_.

_**Ding, Dong!**_

I heard footsteps coming towards the door, "What do you want?" _not them... come on... today was going so good..._

"Not that it's any of your business, but I'm hear to take Bonnie to dinner."

"What? Are you going to take her to Bueno Nacho, or McFast Burger?"

Under normal circumstances I would have ignored them and went on with life, but for some reason they struck a nerve today, "Actually, I'm taking her to _Alfred's_. You might have heard of it, nice restaurant in Upperton, candle light, waiting list that you couldn't keep a relationship going long enough to get in. Need I go on, or do you know where I'm talking about?"

For the first time since I met them, the two women, who I swear were injected with evil serum at birth, were shocked into silence. Fortunately Bonnie came out before they recovered, "Are you going to just stand there or come in?"

When I stepped around the two of them, they sneered at me and disappeared down the hall. "Bon-Bon." I whined a little, but for a good reason, I had to apologize, "I'm sorry, I really am, I didn't know she was coming into town."

I tried to put my arms around her, but she stepped just out of my reach and turned her back to me, "What, so you wanted to know ahead of time so you could keep us away from each other, and both on the line?" Now that was the last thing on my mind, there was no way I was going to try and string two women along. I may not be smart, but I'm not stupid either. I reached for her arm to make her face me when I tried to explain things only to find her smiling, which had me more dumbfounded than I had her sisters, "Lighten up, I'm just giving you a hard time, because she obviously has a thing for you. I know you don't like her... right?"

For the briefest millisecond I thought about playing with her about it, but figured I'd go with the 'truth will set you free' method, _kinda_ "Would it be a bad thing if I said I used to?" _Okay, so no answer is good... right?_, "But look at it this way, now I have this badical girlfriend. She's the greatest, I could never want anything less."

Then all Hell broke loose, "Ron Stoppable!" _crap_, "You just did what many consider to be impossible, you dug yourself out of a hole." _see that... the Ronman is awesome... I don't know what I did... but it was awesome_, "Now come give me some Ronshine."

It's interesting how Ronshine has changed in the last two weeks, I mean the first few days it was almost solely a game of tonsil hockey, and I'm not saying that was a bad thing, _no sir... not gonna complain about that_, and I'm not gonna say we don't do that any more, _nope... not gonna let that happen either..._ Now, well now more often than not, it consists of a few small kisses followed by her trying to bury herself in my chest while I tried to wrap myself completely around her. And that's where we were then, my face nuzzled up to the top of her head taking in the shampoo she uses, trying to burn the scene into my memory where it won't go away.

_**Ding, Dong!**_

The depressing sound of the bells fit my mood exactly, "We should go answer that. We are the closest to the door, and I really don't want my sisters to come back down." As usual, she was right.

"If you're ready, we can just go."

I could feel her smile against me, "If you were anybody else, I would still be in my room making you wait. I'm ready, I just need to put on my shoes."

"You do realize that means you have to let go?" her grip on me hadn't loosened at all.

"Yeah, I guess it does." she still didn't move.

_**Ding, Dong!**_

A chorus of voices came down the hall, "Are you going to answer that?"

With a small grumble she lifted her head towards the door, "Coming!" Her warmth pulled away and moved to beside me, where my arm dropped to her waist as we went to the door. The door opened to a small Japanese woman in a _very_ not-so-conservative red dress, I'm talking the kind that under any other circumstances I would have been in heaven, _Kim's LBD has nothing on this thing... or rather it has a lot more..._

"Greetings Stoppable-san," I made no attempt to answer her until she followed suit and addressed the other person _STANDING RIGHT THERE_, "as well to you Rockwaller-kōhai(1)." My jaw about hit the ground at the title she used. The look on Yori's face let me know she knew she'd screwed up already, fortunately Bonnie wasn't familiar with Japanese.

"Hello... Yori, right?"

"That is correct Rockwaller-_san_." _yeah... nice save..._

"Please, it's Bonnie. And maybe you missed the memo, his name is Ron."

I tightened my hold around her back, "Hey Yori. Bon-Bon, she's used to calling me that. Call it a pet name... that almost everyone in Japan uses for me."

"It is my honor to call him Stoppable-san, as it would be my honor to call you Rockwaller-san."

I could tell Bonnie wasn't liking the idea, but I knew that whether it was because of _honor_ or just to annoy Bonnie, Yori was going to use our titled names, "Well, what are we waiting on? Let's go."

"I'm going out tonight, don't kill yourselves." Bonnie yelled down the hall before closing the door, but added, "I wouldn't complain too much, but you are family." once we were outside.

I stopped as we went by the passenger door and opened it but told Yori to wait, and then walked with Bonnie to the driver's side. She apparently wasn't used to having doors opened for her, because I had to stop her hand from grabbing the handle, "You don't have to do this you know."

As I held her hand in gentlemanly fashion helping her in, I said, "I don't have to do a lot of things, but I will anyways." She gave me that small smile that let me know that, though she may not say it, she liked the attention and weak attempt at chivalry, _for crying out loud... she's driving... what kind of date am I that I can't even provide the basic need of transportation?..._

I went back to the other side and pulled the seat forward but was stopped from entering when I was asked, "Do you not wish to have the front seat?"

It took me a second to figure everything out, but two major factors of (one, she was in a _short_ dress, so getting in and out of the back would either require me to get really close to save her modesty or she would be giving everyone a free show. Two, I wasn't interested in the young Orient in the same fashion I was told she was interested in me, which means that I shouldn't allow number one to take place.) made up my mind for me, "It will be my honor to sit in the back." _boo-yah... honor point to the Ronman..._ And fortunately she couldn't argue with me on that one, _this is going to be a long night..._

The ride to Upperton was fairly quiet, the topic of discussion seemed to revolve around two things, how everyone was doing on opposite sides of the Pacific and how Bonnie and I ended up together. I let Bonnie handle the latter because it's something she likes to talk about, and it puts her in a better mood when she thinks about it, _besides, I think she enjoyed reliving some of those moments just to annoy Yori..._

It's not that I have anything against her, but when I kinda liked her (and I later found out she kinda liked me) she wouldn't tell me. I mean seriously how hard is it for a girl to tell a guy they like them, most guys are pretty open to the idea of a girl liking them, _unless they're taken that is..._

Arriving at _Alfred's_, I put my hand on Bonnie's shoulder to let her know not to get out on her own. The valet opened the door for Yori and helped her out, and I all but dove out the door after her so I could make it around to open the door for Bonnie (Dad raised me to be a gentleman, what can I say?). "M'lady." I said, offering her my hand.

A small giggle escaped before she got it under check, "Kind sir." Once she was out, I grabbed the stub from the driver and handed him the keys. "You better not wreck it." there was a solid understanding in her voice when the man made eye contact.

"I want you to know, I'm almost as happy about how tonight turned out as you are. But, can we try and get the best out of it?"

"If it'll make you happy." _whew_, "But if she keeps hitting on you, I can't guarantee I won't call Shego to come and kick her under dressed ass." _call Shego?... what did I miss?_, "Oh, I forgot to tell you, she sent me an email with her cell number this afternoon, I didn't find it till after practice. But she said that she would call me and make sure we didn't have plans if she was going to borrow you, and in turn I can call her if I need a favor." _oh this is great... now my girlfriend is making deals with the enemy..._

"Are you sure that's such a good idea? I mean, you don't want to be associated with a villain if or when they do get her to trial, do you?"

"I am in no way associating with Shego, I'm in contact with an Ashley, who has by some chance, has the same skin tint as Shego. Poor little me, just never made any connection between the two."

"Ashley is her real name?" I was shocked at both the fact Shego told her, and that Bonnie let it slip up around me.

"No." _never mind_, "That's one of her clean alias', she wouldn't tell me her real name. I doubt we'll ever find that out."

I noticed Yori standing by the door, waiting patiently on the two of us to join her. So, being the forced gentleman I was, I escorted Bonnie to the door. The first guy in a penguin suit inside rushed forward to greet us, "Mr. Stoppable, thank you for thinking of our establishment when you were looking for fine dinning. Your presence is always welcome here, I just hope our chefs can meet your fine expectations." _this guy's a good brown noser... trained in the diplomacy and stroking of the egos that walk through that door..._

"As my partner would say: no big."

"Where is Ms. Possible this evening, I would have swore I saw her name on the register, but when I looked just now I couldn't find it anywhere." _Now that's odd..._

"Not actually sure where she's at tonight, she said she had plans. I'm escorting my girlfriend, Bonnie, and a friend of mine from Japan, Yori."

"Well again, thank you for choosing _Alfred's_ for your meal. Your table is this way." he started through the restaurant right past several people who were waiting on a table, earning us a few dirty looks, _probably think we're just some high schoolers out on a date... wait... that is what I'm doing... Boo-Yah!..._

We were seated at a small round table, towards the back, with me between the women, _and I managed to pull Bonnie's seat out for her before she did it herself_. It looked like it was meant for a party of four, _it's really odd to show up with an odd number of people... places like this are for couples or groups of couples..._

"Excuse me, I need to use the powder room."

As soon as she was out of earshot, Bonnie piped up, "I thought she'd never leave."

As much as her being there irked me I couldn't really be mad, _she was a good friend... she just has really bad timing_, "Bonnie, Yori is a friend, nothing more. You have nothing to worry about, I only have room for one in here." I pulled her hand to my chest to emphasize my point.

"So you aren't attracted to the rather revealing fashion statement the little geisha is wearing?" _umm, I never said that... I'm not blind... but I don't care about that because I have what I want..._

"Geisha? Isn't that a bit harsh?" _I knew what she meant... and it wasn't an escort or entertainment..._

She blushed and turned away, almost in shame, "I'm sorry, she just rubbed me wrong from the time she showed up. Wearing that little school girl uniform, that I _know _you noticed," _okay... so you caught me on that one_, "and hanging on you. And showing up in that skimpy dress this evening was just icing on the cake."

"How many times do I have to tell you, my heart already belongs to someone. Yeah, I'm a guy and as such I'm going to look." _she kinda made it hard not to look_, "I'm not saying that I should, 'cause I probably shouldn't, and I try not to, but did you see what she was wearing. There is less skin showing in this years _Sports Incorporated- The Swimsuit Edition_, and..." I noticed that I was rambling again, then realized what I was rambling about, "I'm going to shut up because I just dug myself into a hole I can't dig out of." _crap... why can't I contain those little rants?... my life would be so much easier..._

"You're lucky you don't have to dig your way out, I'll throw you a rope, _this time_, if you forgive me for what I said about your friend." I managed to pull my eyes off the floor and match her gaze, I don't think that even if I wanted to I could have said no. _I just wish I was a better boyfriend... I shouldn't be looking at other girls when she's around... actually, I shouldn't be looking at other girls at all... like I told her yesterday, I'm happy to be a one woman man..._

I figured I could tell her I accepted her proposal without speaking, I took her hand and gently placed a light kiss on the back of each digit. At first I thought she was going to pull away, but she didn't and I knew she knew we were good. As I dropped her hand her gaze drifted over my shoulder, "Is she coming back?"

"Can't you hear her? It's like a squeaky wheel, a squeaky _third_ wheel." I smiled at her joke, _wow... that sounds like one of my jokes... maybe she has been spending too much time with me... not that I'm going to complain..._

While awkward, Bonnie and I did save face the rest of the meal, and avoided making Yori feel too uncomfortable. I think we got the idea that she had the worst timing in the world across though, especially when Bonnie said, "Yeah, it sucks that our first real date was marred." _that was subtle... NOT!..._

I was going to change the subject, but Yori got the idea that her presence wasn't appreciated by Bonnie, "I offer you my apologies, but I was unaware that my appearance would cause Stoppable-san and yourself such inconvenience." I had to give her credit, that was smooth.

Bonnie seemed to agree with me, "It's okay, I shouldn't take it out on you. It just seems like the world is against us right now, maybe not trying to tear us apart, but definitely trying to keep us from getting any closer."

"Think of it this way, Bon-Bon, we're getting it all out of the way now." _granted I want to have some alone time..._

Shortly after I had finished my Surf 'n Turf, _one of the greatest meals out there... the perfect tribute to American dining... you have your 100 USDA certified beef steak from the heartland... and you get a taste of the coast with the lobster_, the black and white suit returned to take our dessert orders.

I always thought that people were crazy when they said they liked to watch someone eat, but my opinion on that has changed in the last couple weeks. It's such a simple, necessary task, that for some reason had me completely mesmerized. I watched as each small piece of cake made the slow and deliberate journey to those full lips. A thought crossed my mind, _Bonnie mixed with rich chocolate sounds really good_, then almost as if I really did have a guardian angel a smudge of icing attached itself to the corner of her mouth.

"What?" I was caught red handed, she had seen me staring, and there was no escape.

"You have something on your face right here." I pointed to the same spot on my face.

Her tongue peeked out the opposite corner and tried to find the offensive blemish, "There, did I get it?"

_Call it hormones, call it too many chick flicks courtesy of Kim and Monique, call it what ever you want_, I leaned over and whispered, "No, it's right here." and proceeded to help her. It was really weird, to be honest, I was licking my girlfriend in public, but when she turned a little more and met my lips with hers I didn't care any more.

"I think you got it." the slightly annoyed voice from behind me reminded me where I was, and I pulled back to my seat.

"Yeah, I think I did." My mind was still lost in bliss, _yeah... Bonnie does taste good with a little chocolate..._

We all finished our desert and I waved our server down, "Check please."

"I'm sorry, there must be a misunderstanding, your meal is on the house."

Doing a little mental math I tallied our bill, and knew there was no way that was free, "I insist, You got me a table on such short notice, the least I can do is pay for the excellent meal."

"I will fetch the owner." and before I could stop him, he was gone.

Not more than 30 seconds later, Alfred himself came striding up to our table, "I hear there is a problem?"

"No problem, I just wanted our bill."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stoppable, but your money is no good here."

Knowing that I was going to loose this battle, no matter what I said, I stood to shake his hand, "Thank you, you are too kind." _ I know how to talk diplomacy..._

"Nonsense, you managed to save our kitchen and your partner covered for several of our wait staff when that biological agent was released making them ill. This is the least I can do."

"If KP were here she'd say, 'no big'. And can you pass my complements to the chef?" The tall lean man just nodded and disappeared through the doors leading to the kitchen.

"I guess it's time to get take you back to your hotel."

I turned to see Bonnie and Yori standing, _I was supposed to come over and help you up... how am I supposed to be a gentleman with all this feminist equality stuff around..._ It was a good thing her hotel was on the north end of Middleton, at least we didn't have to backtrack to get to Bonnie's house. "Good night Yori. It was great seeing you again. I'll see you at Bueno Nacho for lunch tomorrow, we're all meeting there."

"It has been my pleasure to see you again as well." then without any encouragement, she turned to Bonnie, "Again, I apologize for intruding on your evening. It was an honor to meet you."

I don't think Bonnie was quite expecting that one, "Yeah. It was nice to meet you too. I hope to see you tomorrow."

Fifteen silent minutes later, we pulled into her drive, "It's only 9, do you wanna come in and watch a movie with me?"

"Hmm, let me think about it. Quiet evening watching a movie with my girlfriend, or call it an early night on a Friday and go home like a los-"

I didn't get to finish that statement because of a hand meeting my face, it didn't hurt but it shocked me inot silence, "Sorry about that, but you were about to say a word that I don't like." She stood on her toes and kissed where she'd just slapped, "There is it all better?"

"Yeah, I think. But why did you do that? You could have just told me not to say it."

"You've known me for how long? I sometimes let my emotions take control, I don't always think before I say or do something. _That_ word brings forward anger now, anger that I ever used it, and I never want to hear it said again. Especially if it's about someone I love." all kinds of alarms and whistles were going off in my head right then, _she feels the same way... but I don't think she knows she said it... it just came out naturally... I can't think of a word that fits how I feel right now... BOO-YAH!_

Tucking that thought to a side burner for a second I said, "There's no way anyone can consider me a loo-, excuse me, no way I can be called the 'L' word," _the 'L' word... I'm going to use AN 'L' word_, "I have the most amazing woman right here in my arms, someone with that title doesn't end up with the cheerleader." That seemed to appease her enough to lead the way inside.

"So, what do you want to watch? I'm thinking we watch _Episode III_, so you remember what happens if you go to the dark side."

"That is so unfair to compare me to Darth Vader. Besides if I ever hurt you like that, I'd probably have jumped into the lava pits. Besides, what will your sisters think when they see you watching something so 'uncool'?"

"I thought I explained this... never be normal, and I don't care what they think any more. And I know you won't hurt me, but you were thinking about going to the dark side when you saw Shego's place, and I want those thoughts to vanish."

We made our way to the couch, where I sat down and she went to the movie case, "Um, what are you doing? I thought those were hidden where no one could find them?"

"You aren't listening, I don't care anymore. I put them down here in the case so I don't have to go dig them out when I do feel like watching them." _so Bonnie is getting over the food chain... I'm sure she's not completely rid of it's influence... but she's working on it... and she's doing it for me..._

As soon as the DVD tray slid back into place I stretched across the couch and asked, "Are you going to sit on the floor or come up here with me?"

"Definitely gonna have to go with the warm Cuddle Buddy." I liked the idea of being her Cuddle Buddy, and wrapped my arms around her as she pulled the blanket over us.

"Bonnie?"

"Hmm?" she tried to snuggle in closer.

"I want to say something, but I don't want you to freak out on me."

She stopped moving and turned her head so she could see my face, "What?"

"It's nothing bad, actually it's a really good thing. Well, if you think the same, which I think you do, because I earlier you said th-" A finger pressed to my lips to stop my rambling, "Sorry, I get to going when I get nervous."

"You have nothing to be nervous about, well unless you're planning on breaking up with me, then you have every right to be nervous." _no pressure... you know how you feel... just tell her..._

"Nope you're stuck with me." I could almost feel the glow radiating off of her, "What I wanted to say was..." _come on... you can do this..._ "I think I'm in love. I- I love you." _can't look... can't look... _

I opened my eyes to see tears building up in her big blues, _no don't cry... I'm sorry I'll take it back_. Then I heard the most magical words I have ever heard, "Ron, I love you too." I swear we were floating a few inches above the couch, it was one of those perfect moments in time that nothing could interfere with. The TV could have exploded as we laid there and we wouldn't have cared in the least. Eventually the advertisements faded and the opening orchestrated theme came rattling through their Bose system drawing our attention partially towards the TV.

Shortly into the movie I noticed that Bonnie's breathing was steady, _she's so peaceful when she's asleep... I could just lay here and watch her sleep_. I strained my neck so I could kiss her eyelids and whispered, "Good night," and laid my head back to finish watching the movie before waking her so I could go.

I caught myself a couple times with my eyes getting heavy, _I won't go to sleep... but even if I do... someone will wake me up and send me home... but I'm not going to go to sleep so I don't have to worry about that... maybe I'll just close my eyes and rest for a little while... I won't go to sleep... just rest... ... ..._

1 http / en . Wikipedia . Org / wiki / Japanesetitles


	12. Survival

A/N: Okay, first off, I apologize for the amazingly long wait on this chapter. I accidentally made my muse mad and it took me a while to patch things up.

JonathonWolf is also writing a fic of Ron/Bon goodness, and if you haven't read it I suggest it. It's called _Bonnie's Big Date_, the ID number is 2533520 if you wanna look it up that way.

About the story A/N's: Mr. Rockwaller is an OC, I'm thinking big, intimidating, ex-military, while still being a basically good well rounded type of a guy (Think Barkin, but a little smaller). Physical description (because when we see him it's in Bonnie's POV and her describing him would be... odd I think) is roughly 6'1", 250-260 lbs of solidness, definite army haircut the same color as Bonnie's, eyes are brown, clean cut with a noticeable jawline but not the typical square hero jawline, he's not as barrel chested as Barkin, but looks like he's hold his own.

* * *

"...believe it?" 

"That... ...slu-... ...going to get..."

_What's going on?... what's all that noise?..._ I tried to open my eyes but the light on the ceiling caused me to squint to the point I couldn't see anything anyways, so I closed them again. A smile crossed my face, _mmm... I love that smell... vanilla... I wonder why I smell vanilla?... and it's so strong... like it's right in front of me..._ I felt something stir on my chest, _Rufus must have been REALLY cold if he crawled under the blankets with me_, then whatever it was that was on my chest moved again, and I realized that it was much larger than the little pink guy. _Okay, think... what would be laying on my chest, smell like vanilla, and be bigger than Rufus_, I moved my hand to my chest to see if I could identify what was holding me in place.

_Have you ever had an epiphany?... a sudden revelation that shook your entire being for a short period of time... _My fingers felt fur, _Rufus is called a **naked** mole rat for a reason, _but this was longer, more like hair, _soft hair that I'm going to run my fingers through_, hair that I found to be about the same length as Bonnie's. _Yeah, that's when it hit me... this is Bonnie's hair... and that means that either Bonnie is using me as a pillow, or I don't want to wake up..._ Then the noise started again.

"Hey, are you going to ignore us!"

"Yes." I could feel the little vibrations when that voice spoke.

"I'm going to get Mom!" _Panic?... where's the panic?... I really should be gone in a screaming flurry by now... but I don't feel like running... odd, but right now, I'm the most relaxed I think I've ever been..._

I heard four stomping feet fade away, "We should get up." That was a voice I knew, it was the one that sent those warm fuzzy feelings through me.

"We're in deep, aren't we?" I knew the answer, but I felt it needed to be said.

"Deep would have been if they woke us up at midnight and sent you home then."

"Yeah." _this is gonna suck so much... as in Drakken finally making something that works for once, kind of suck_, "But, I can't complain about waking up like this too much."

"What do you mean?"

"Notice, I'm still laying here. Normal me, I would have been up and running out the door at the first loud noise, some call it being a coward, I call it good self preservation. But, right now I'm the most relaxed I've been since you gave me those back massages after..." she knew what I was talking about, and I didn't want to relive any memories that I didn't have to.

"Now that you mention it, if you take away the yelling, I can't think of a better way to wake up." I felt her arms pull her closer, and using my arm that wasn't running through her hair I helped her find a comfortable position.

"My mom isn't going to like this when she finds out."

"I thought she never complained about stuff like this before?" I could hear the hurt and bite in her voice, they didn't hit it off so good, especially after their awkward meeting. I can just hear her now, complaining that if I'm too embarrassed to let Bonnie meet her, then I shouldn't be seeing her.

"That was either with KP after a mission, or when I was stranded here during that blizzard. Even then I could tell she wasn't happy. But because it was Kim, she didn't complain too much because we were just friends. And when I couldn't make it home a couple weeks ago, she thought we hated each other, and still asked if I was going to behave. Imagine what she's going to do now that we're dating." _I don't want to think about it... the idea of no Bueno Nacho for a week scares me..._

Neither one of us moved though, we were content to stay there the rest of the day. Until I realized we were still on her couch, where certain people could come back and start yelling again, "Um, I just got to thinking. Aren't your sisters gonna have a fit if we lay here all day?"

I felt her tense up when I mentioned them, "It's not them I'm worried about."

Now, I may have been in my best state of vegetation I can remember, but the tone in her voice scared me, "What are you talking about?"

"My dad's kind of... overprotective." My eyes shot open at this, _crap, crap, and more crap... then double it... and add some monkey crap to it, just to make things interesting..._ While I've never met the man personally, I knew a few things, like the fact that he used to serve in the military with a certain large teacher of mine, and the idea of what an ex-military man was capable of doing to me scared me.

"Black hole overprotective, or yell and scream overprotective?" I felt her turn her head to look at me, and I could see she didn't have a clue what I was talking about, "Nevermind. I don't want to make your life miserable, and I'm not thinking it's the best idea for me to have a bad first impression on him, though I'm betting that I'm too late for that one."_ good bye cruel cruel world... it's been nice knowing you..._

**Bonnie's POV**

"He's going to be mad, I won't try and say he's going to be happy. But I hope that since nothing happened and it was an accident..." _Okay, I got this under control... just bat my big blues and he's putty in my hands... I hope_. I too a deep breath and silently prayed Ron was up for the next thing I had to ask, "Why don't you go use the spare bathroom and clean up then meet me down here when you get done?"

"Uh, Bon-Bon, I'm not sure that's a good idea. Don't you think it'd be better if I just went home? I mean, aren't you in enough trouble without me sticking around to make it worse?" I thought he was trying to get out of here as fast as he could when he started off, but the concern and comfort I could hear him pouring into every word helped me realize he was more worried about me getting into trouble than he was about his own safety.

"The way I see it, if you stay here and help me explain what really happened, he won't get any ideas and try to hunt you down. And it won't look like you're trying to hide something by not facing him, maybe he'll see that we didn't mean to do this and take some mercy on us." _we're dead as last yesterday's leftovers..._

Ron still wasn't as sure about my idea as I was trying to sound I was, "Mercy? As in we get to choose how we die, mercy?" I knew he was overreacting, but I also had a feeling he wasn't too far off, "But, if you think it'll be better for you, I'll stay. I'm just going to clean up a little though, I'm not gonna take a shower and all that. I'll wait till I get home and can change." The realization that he was still in his good clothes made me laugh inside, _wait, if he's in his... that means I'm in mine... crap, it's gonna take forever to get these wrinkles out... and I just had it dry cleaned..._

Neither one of us really felt like moving still, "Are you going to go clean up Ronnie?"

"I would, but I have this beautiful woman using me as a pillow and I don't want to disturb her." _okay... that was cheesy... but so very much Ron..._

"Should I be jealous?" _what can I say?... I like cheesy..._

"Very." Finally, a mix of knowledge that we needed to get up and a call from Mother Nature I crawled out from under the blanket and helped him to his feet, "You're kinda cute with bed head." The look I shot him sent him to the spare bathroom without another word, _I hate mornings... and I look like crap... bed head is so NOT cute..._

I pulled a 100 yard dash getting ready, because I wanted to talk to Dad before he got his hands around Ron's neck. As I stepped into the kitchen I decided that it was definitely a good thing I beat Ron down, but was wishing he was there with me, _at least Dad isn't cleaning a gun this time_, "I can't believe you'd do something like this!" _Woah... you're going to yell without asking questions?... not on my clock... I don't care if you are my dad... not gonna happen..._

"You don't even know what happened, or in thi-"

He interrupted me, "Your sisters told me what you did. I don't need to hear it again." I could hear something in his voice besides the obvious anger, but I couldn't place it, "Under my roof... On our couch... how could you?... when I get my hands on that little punk I'm going to ri-"

It was my turn to interrupt, "Shut up!" That was the first time, and more than likely the only time I have ever told my dad to shut up, and probably the only time I would ever get away with it, "First off, nothing happened, at least not like you think." He tried to speak but I kept going, "Two, don't get me started on what those two have done in the house, in YOUR bed." The shock on his face was well worth exposing the one piece of blackmail I had on those two, "Three, yes what happened shouldn't have happened, but it did."

"I thought nothing happened?" his voice was accusative to the max, and it rubbed me wrong.

But I knew that if this was going to have any semblance of being civil, I had to shake it off, so grinding my teeth I continued, "Something did happen, just not what you think. We were watching a movie and we both fell asleep, fully clothed, on the couch, then were woke up by those two yelling. If that is a crime, then lock me up because I'm guilty as charged." There was a long silence, where he sat there and I stood having an unofficial staredown. We were both trying to figure out what was going on behind the other's stone face, and neither making any headway. I heard the light approach of a slightly off beat gait, "Ron, you can come in here. You don't have to be afraid of my dad."

A low grumble came, "He should be, he slept with my daughter on my couch."

That was the last straw before I snapped, "SLEPT! Did you hear what you just said? S-L-E-P-T, slept! We _did_ sleep on your couch, we did _not_ do anything other than _sleep_!"

I was taking a breath to keep going when I felt a light pressure on my shoulder and a very scared voice started to speak, "Bon-Bon, he has a point, we did sleep together," Suddenly one of his panic induced ramblings stuck him, "And by sleep I do mean it the unconscious way, Mr. Rockwaller. Not that I would have complained if I meant the other kind of sleep, because have you seen wha..." _smooth... that's going to make him in a so much better mood_, Ron paused and took a second to collect himself again, "As I was saying, even though nothing happened it's just our word to go on, and if I was in your shoes, I'd be saying we're crazy if we expected me to believe what we said. That made so much more sense in my head." _what?... now you're going to just lay down and take it... how can you do that?... I thought we talked about taking crap you don't deserve..._

"Son, are you going to stand there and tell me that even though you say nothing happened you will take whatever I dish out?" _all things that are holy... I know what that man can dish out... and Ron doesn't want any of it..._

By this time, Ron had made his way to stand beside me and had his arm on my shoulder, and was standing a half step closer to my dad than I was, _it was almost like he was protecting me... from my dad?... it didn't make sense... he's the one in danger here_. He looked down at me and could see me silently telling him that he'd better say no. Never breaking eye contact with me he said, "I don't see that I have any other choice," _wrong answer... you were supposed to agree with me... nothing happened so he shouldn't do anything_, Ron then turned to face the solid man drinking coffee, "I had the option of waking her up when she first fell asleep and leaving then, but I didn't because she looked so peaceful laying there in my arms. Or I should have left when I first realized I was a little tired, but I thought I could make it through the movie so I could hold her just a little while longer. Then I made my biggest mistake, I laid my head back for a minute to rest, I wasn't going to go to sleep, I just wanted to give my eyes a break, but I did go to sleep. And to be honest I think I got one of the best nights sleep last night, and waking up with her right there... I can't explain it, it was just... amazing comes close to explaining it, but... Man, I hate trying to 'splain things" _I know what you mean... It was more than amazing_, "But all that said, it doesn't really matter much does it? I can't prove a word of it, for all you know I'm standing here feeding you a line of pure and unaltered BS, so I guess I have to take whatever you have in mind." If Dad hadn't been sitting right there, _and I was tempted with him there_, and we weren't standing there for the reasons we were I would have given Ron the biggest kiss on the record books, the way he spoke about watching me sleep in his arms and how he felt this morning made me want to melt, _note to self... repay him later..._

Another sip of coffee later, "What would you say if I said you couldn't see my daughter anymore?"

My calm manner that I'd built up while Ron was speaking shattered like a window in a Jacki Chan movie, "Dad!"

"No, it's alright Bonnie." _What do you mean it's alright?... he just said you couldn't see me anymore_, "If you said that, I'd have to kindly ignore you." _not the words I would have used_, I saw his death grip on the coffee mug tighten, "But, you would never see me around here again. Which, I might point out, is a bad thing if I were in your shoes. Think about it this way, here you can personally keep an eye on us, elsewhere we won't necessarily have a chaperon to keep us out of trouble." _in three... two... one..._ his panic hit again, "Not that we would be getting into trouble, because we wouldn't do that, the most we hav..." I gave him a light squeeze around the waist to stop him from making things worse, _and you were doing so good_, "Okay, I'm going to shut up now."

I swear he took those next three drinks in slow motion, just trying to draw things out and make me more nervous than I already was, _okay working... you can start yelling now_, "You were both wrong in allowing what happened to happen. But, if the military taught me anything, it's that the people willing to take a beating usually don't need it. It's those that fight tooth and nail to get out of it that need it the most." I swore that he had a bottomless mug, because after a couple more of those way to slow drinks he continued, "Bonnie is an exception, she'll fight tooth and nail either way. The fact that you stuck around to face me, and the way you handled yourself, I'm going to stand on a limb and say that nothing inappropriate happened last night." _it took you this long to figure that out?... I'm going to shove that coffee cup down your throat if you don't quit_, "But because you did do something that _was_ wrong; Bonnie, you're curfew is now 7:30 during the week and 9 on weekends. And it's going to stay that way until I say otherwise. And no one is allowed to be here after 8 and 9:30, respectively." I knew we were getting off easier than we could have so I didn't argue, _all thanks to my smooth talking boyfriend..._

"Yes, Daddy." _pull the "Daddy" card... it always helps smooth things over... maybe he'll cut the curfew restrictions short..._

"And I'm going to call your parents and tell them that last night has been dealt with, and hope they will see reason."

Okay, I know my dad pretty good, I have known him all my life, but I had no idea what he was thinking right then, and neither did Ron, "Sir, what do you mean 'see reason'?"

"Let's just say, a friend of mine at the American Legion told me you were a good kid. And this guys a good judge of character, so I trust him. So I'll call your folks and tell them that, while it is up to them, I think the punishment I have placed on Bonnie will be more than enough to punish you as well. But, remember, it is up to them in the end." My jaw hit the ground and started to bounce like a quarter super ball, "What? You think I don't check up on all your boyfriends?" _you are so going to die a slow painful death_, "Don't worry, from what I hear, you got a good one this time. Definitely better than that brute you were dating, what was his name? Rocky?..." _Dad just said I have a good one?... that is most definitely a good sign..._

"Brick?" his eyes lit with recognition, "Let's just say brute was a complement."

**Kim's POV**

_Will someone remind me why I'm picking her up... wouldn't this be Ron's 'honor' to pick her up?..._ I pulled into the parking lot of the hotel, "Let's hope she's ready. I really don't wanna have to wait out here all day, and my stomach is making noises similar to Rufus'." I couldn't help but laugh at the comment coming from the man in the passenger seat, Ron had entrusted him with the care of Rufus for the night because of his date with Bonnie and Yori, _oh yeah... that's why I'm picking her up... she crashed his date... and he wanted to have the morning alone with Kitten... I'm gonna have to thank Shego for that... then again, maybe not..._

I threw the lever up, and looked down to find the buckle so I could go get our young friend. I swear they make these things harder and harder to get to and get off, but I finally found the little button and was opening my door to get out. My heart skipped a beat, not only was Yori ready, but she was also standing _right_ outside my door, "Where is Ron-san?" _what?... no 'hello'?... no nothing?... come on you scare me half to death, it's the least you can do..._

"I'm sure he is spending the morning with Bonnie. They probably felt they needed some time alone after their plans got changed for them yesterday." I'm pretty sure she caught onto the sarcasm that was dripping from the statement.

"I feel bad for having poor timing." _meaning, you wish you wouldn't have rained on Bonnie's Ronshine?... or you wish you were here about 3 weeks ago?..._

"No problems, Yori. I'll bet he was at her house at the crack of dawn to make it up to her. He's head over heals for her, and I'll bet he'd give up his ritual 2 extra hours of sleep and Saturday morning cartoons for her." I could tell she wasn't overly pleased by Felix's revelation, and I could understand. I was there myself not a week ago, but thanks to a few friends I am coming to the realization we were lucky Bonnie quit being... well, Bonnie-ish.

"We'll see him at Beuno Nacho, no?"

"Are you kidding? That is one thing Ron would go through time and fight mutants to save." _why does that sound familiar?..._

"No kidding. I'm not sure whether he likes Bonnie or Nacos more."

"Felix!" I gave him a slap on the shoulder.

"Sure, beat up on the crippled kid." the words were forming in my mouth to apologize, but he started laughing, "Gotcha. Man, Ron was right, I should have done that a _long_ time ago. Your face was priceless."

I wasn't sure whether to me mad that he just got me, _big_, or laugh because it was funny. I went for neither and changed the subject, "So, why did you cross the big lake?"

"I came to see if Stoppable-san and yourself were in good health. And to check on your status with Global Justice." The way she said it came out robotic, almost rehearsed.

"Are you sure it didn't have anything to do with finding out Ron's _status_?" I saw the way she lit up yesterday when she found out Ron and I weren't together, then watched her deflate when Bonnie spoke up.

She didn't answer immediately, confirming my theory, when she finally spoke I was almost surprised, _almost because I've heard it so much in the last couple weeks that I've got used to it_, "I was curious. You are a very observant person, so I will assume you know that I have feelings for him." I nodded at her in the back seat through the mirror to continue, "When you said you had plans and Ron confirmed you were not together I was shocked, but pleased. I was surprised the two of you had not discovered your hidden feelings for each other, but because you were not together I had hoped that I would get the opportunity to share my feelings for him and that maybe he would return them."

"Wait. Are you saying, you came clear across the ocean just to see if Ron was single, and if he was you were going to ask him out?" _are guys really that dense when it comes to the way girls think?_, "Why didn't you just call or write an e-mail? It would have been cheaper, and you could have saved yourself a lot of the hurt of rejection."

"It was to impersonal. And I had hoped that my making the effort to come would help in his decision." _the things we do for guys... and they don't even notice... makes you wonder why we even try..._

We pulled into the parking lot of Bueno Nacho, and I helped Felix out of the passenger seat and into his chair. He smiled and placed his hand on mine briefly, "Thanks."

Monique waved us over to the big table in the corner, "Over here you three." We were barely settled in when she started up on her twenty questions routine, "So how are you doing Yori? What brings you across the ocean to see little ol' us? How was your night, I heard you went to _Alfred's_ for dinner?"

"Easy, Monique. You need to remember to breathe once in a while."

"This coming from the girl that forgets how to speak when Ron comes around."

"That's not fair. I think I figured that all out anyways."

Then our guest got curious, "I thought you didn't like him like that?" _oh the joys of being near Monique... they're endless..._

"Oh, you didn't know?" I gave her a look that said _shut up_, but she never listens, "Yeah, Kim here finally figured it all out about two weeks ago, but around the same time Ron caught the attention of one Bonnie Rockwaller. Long drama later, Ron and Kim are still best friends, even though Kim kinda likes Ron, and Ron admittedly isn't a hundred percent sure how he feels about Kim and is dating Bonnie."

If it wouldn't have been because of what Monique just said, the shock on Yori's face would have been funny, "So, I was not inaccurate in thinking there was a bond between the two of you?"

I looked down at the designs on the table, "No. Apparently, he has had feelings for me for some time, but because he was afraid of ruining our friendship he never said anything. And everyone keeps telling me that I've liked him for a while, but wouldn't admit it to myself because of the stupid _food-chain_. By the time I figured out that there might be something between us, it was too late."

"I think I understand your situation." I wanted to yell at her that she had no idea what I went through, but I also knew that she was going through something similar right now.

"It's okay, I think things might have worked out for the best. I still have my best friend, and partner, who has always been there for me, and says he will always be there for me. And, Ron has a girlfriend that isn't after him for a new haircut or his bank account."

"Aww, my little girl is growing up." I tried to get mad at Monique for that, but couldn't help myself from joining in the laughter.

"Hey guys, what's so funny?" I looked over my shoulder to see Ron and his new appendage walking up.

Monique filled in, "Nothing, we're just making fun of Kim."

"Well, if that's the case don't let me stop you."

"Gee, thanks Ron. What a great friend you are."

"I do what I can, KP." He pulled a chair out for Bonnie, "So, have you ordered?" The looks on everyone's face answered his question for him, "I'll be right back."

Sure enough, he came back shortly with a couple trays of food. Felix asked, "What do we owe you, man?"

"Nothing, it's my treat." The entire place got silent, _Ron just bought six people food at Beuno Nacho?_, "They wouldn't let me pay last night, so I have a little cash on me."

"I'm not gonna complain, because you never look a gift horse in the mouth, but what did you get us?"

"Let's see, for you Monique, I got 3 soft shell tacos..." he began to list off the things he had bought as he handed them out, _all of which are what we normally get... he pays attention more than I give him credit for_, "...and don't let me forget, Rufus, you get your own Nacho platter with extra cheese for behaving for Felix."

_**Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep**_

Before the last tone finished Bonnie started in, "No, come on, not today. Please?" _Oh no, she's gonna use her "I'm so hurt that you're leaving me" face... must interfere..._

"Do you really think either of us really like it when our plans get interrupted? But we did kinda sign up for this, and unless you want to come to school tomorrow in a kilt while having to avoid the monkeys swinging off a whack death ray we really need to get going." _okay, so that was over kill... but it got the point across... just look at her face..._

"Oh." sheer terror drenched that little sound, "Ronnie, she's just joking with me, right?"

"Well, that would be what I would call a WCS, but it _is_ possible."

"WCS?" I held in a laugh, Yori may be fluent in English, but acronyms are still a few levels above her.

"I think what he's talking about, girl, is a Worst Case Scenario. Am I right or am I right?"

No one answered her because, as queen of abbreviations, Monique was obviously right, "KP, I'll meet you at your place, I'm gonna go get changed."

He didn't have to tell me twice, and I was headed out the door reaching for my Kimmunicator as it chimed again.

_**Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep**_

"Hey Wade, what's the stitch?"

**Bonnie's POV**

I was thinking a lot of things that don't even qualify for Daddy's book of words for plumbing, _why do they have to ruin a perfectly fine day?... why can't they do things like this on... ...well why can't they just quit doing things like this?... _"Aren't you coming?" he voice made me realize he was wanting me to walk home with him.

"Yeah girlfriend, you better make sure he finds himself a belt so he ain't loosin' his britches for Kim." I turned as soon as I got up to rip her apart, _how dare she even suggest that he, no they, would do something like that_, "Chill, but now that I have your undivided attention, meet me in an hour at the mall. Girl you need some stress relief in the form of a banana, _Club Banana_ that is. Nothin makes a girl feel better about herself than a new swim suit, or a nice silk teddy, or even better a nice set of sexy ling..."

"I GET THE IDEA, Monique." as much as she's right, I really didn't want to get Ron distracted before a mission. I do want him to come home in one piece, "Let's go Ron."

I pulled his half glazed stupor out into the chill, which was enough to bring him around, "Hey are you cold? Here you can have my coat." He was already taking it off before I had a chance to respond.

"I don't want your coat." he stopped with one arm still in it's hole, "I want to share." I pulled it back over his shoulder and let his arms find their way around me as we walked the rest of the way to his place in silence.

"I'm so sorry, I wish I didn't have to take off like this." _there he goes with apologizing for something he has no control over..._

"Well, as much fun as wearing a kilt sounds like, I plan on wearing something... more comfortable tomorrow."

I regretted the words as soon as they were out of my mouth, "You mean... Monique wasn't... silk?"

"Ron, focus, you have to make it through whatever mission you have today before tomorrow even gets here."

He straightened up and very matter-of-factually stated, "I wouldn't miss that for the world."

"I'll make you a deal, you make it back in one piece and tomorrow we'll go sit in my hot tub and work out any sore muscles you get."

"Have I told you what an amazing girlfriend you are lately?"

"Not in a couple hours or so."

"Then I'm slacking, you're amazing and beautiful and I don't deserve you. But I'm glad I have you fooled into thinking I do."

"Normally I'd yell at you to quit putting yourself down, but that was sweet." _sweet enough to get a small peck at least..._

"As much as I'd love to stand here and keep this _conversation_ going, I really better get changed." He darted upstairs to get ready. Not 3 minutes later he came plodding back down, "We got a couple more minutes, the ride got to Kim faster than expected, so she's on her way here instead of me running over there." _I guess I'd better count my blessings... a few minutes is a few minutes..._

As he sat down next to me on the couch I asked, "So, did she mention which loon forgot to pad their walls?"

"I thought I was the one that supposed to make the corny jokes."

"I guess I've had to much exposure to Ronshine, the side effects being corny jokes, randomly disappearing boyfriends, and staying warm." To make my last point, I snuggled up against him, "And you still haven't answered my question, did she say who it was this time?"

"Well, kinda. This time it really isn't a 'save the world' type of mission, it's more of a 'evacuate a little village before a dam breaks' type of mission."

"I thought there were agencies designed to handle that type of stuff?" I really did, and if they did exist I wanted them to go do the dirty work, a breaking dam can NOT be good for Ron's health.

"Typically, yeah. But most are busy with other humanitarian projects and can't spare the manpower, or they don't have the resources available to them that we do."

"Basically you can get there faster than anybody that is available, right?" I was in full pout mode, I wasn't trying to change his mind, because I know he needs to go, but I was pissed that no one else is capable of doing what he was planning on doing right then.

"The long answer is yes." I was trying to hide my disappointment and fear, but Ron can read me like an open book, "Hey, does it really bother you?"

"Which part? The fact that you're getting ready to risk your life for people you don't even know, or how I won't know whether you made it out alive until tomorrow, or are you talking about..."

"Maybe I can sit this one out. I mean it's just a evacuation mission, we've done this type of thing before and I'm sure Kim can handle it herself."

"NO!" I felt him jump when I yelled, _easy Bonnie_, I started again, "No, don't do that. Kim needs you out there more than I want you here. I'm just scared, you weaseled your way under my solid emotional wall and now I kinda like you around. If you went away..."

"Shh, how about this, I set a day that the only way I disappear is if the entire world is in danger. If it's just an evacuation mission Kim can handle it, and if it's only Canada Drakken's trying to take over... well, let him have it, I never like the Canucks anyways." His off center humor was just enough to break a smile out of me. "See, there it is, I knew it was possible, you can smile."

"Okay Mr. 'I can make Bonnie smile', you win. But I think I hear a helicopter outside and I want you there and out as fast as possible."

He stood and helped me up, "Yes mother."

As he locked the door behind us I asked, "Doesn't _mommy_ get a kiss goodbye?"

Leaning down he said, "I don't kiss my mom like this." then proceeded to warm me up down to the tips of my toes.

Breaking it off far sooner than I wanted he started trotting towards the wirly-bird. I muttered under my breath, "I sure hope not."

A few hours later I stepped into my domain, the Middleton Mall. This place is, or rather was until Ron, my safe haven from my sisters. Now I try to ignore them, which I think is one of the best forms of torture I have ever seen with them, "Hey, Bonnie, girlfriend, over here." I followed the sounds and found my target, "Hello, Earth to Bonnie, you are getting ready to shop I wanna see that game face."

"Monique, has anybody told you that you take the whole shopping experience to a whole new level?" _I'm serious... she might want to see a counselor or something... she's worse than me..._

"Girl, don't even be trying to rain on my parade. I have so many ideas for how you're gonna knock Ron's sock off."

I think I must have been thinking out loud, either that or Monique can read minds because she heard me when I said, "That's not all I'd like to knock off."

_I wonder if she even knows the meaning of inconspicuous?_, "Did you just say what I think you just said? You got it bad if you wanna mruph" She didn't get the chance to finish her sentence because of a hand magically appearing over her mouth.

"If you value the ability to use your limbs I'd stop speaking, _now_."

I slowly removed my hand, and heard a side of her I didn't know existed, a quiet side, "Sorry B, I was just getting excited for my man, Ron." _excuse me!_

"What do you mean 'my man'? Last time I checked he was mine."

"Chill, I didn't mean it like that. It's just someone has to keep an eye out for him, besides Kim. And I've kinda grown to like the guy, not the same way you do, more like a little puppy. He's loyal to a fault, but still learning the lay of the land and needs a push once in a while. To see him actually doing something for himself, well it kinda makes me excited for him."

Before I lost it completely I turned towards _Club Banana_, "Let's get this shopping spree started." _That was rather funny... my Ronnie compared to a puppy... a very cute and oh so cuddly puppy..._

"Hey can we stop in here first?" She stopped outside the one store in the mall I never entered without disguise or with other people, _Odd 'n Ends_. Imagine every sci-fi fan's wet dream of a store, mix it with fantasy, cards, random Japanese trinkets, and a few replicas from different genre's and you have this place.

"Why do you want to go in?" _I've been in there... that place is pretty cool... in an uncool kind of way... what would Monique want in there... and how many times has she been in before?..._

"I heard they had a new Legolas poster, and Orlando Bloom is THTH."

"You're a _Rings_ fan?" she nodded like it was no big deal, _well I guess if I'm gonna turn over a new leaf I might as well start here_, "Do you know if they have the new Aragorn poster in? Or the new Episode III one, because Hayden Christensen is tasty." If for no other reason than to see Monique's face, that was so worth it.

"I knew you were a fan girl. So I'm going to assume that you've been in here before?"

"Under guise, but yes."

She got this evil grin that made me wonder what was going through her head, "Then you might have seen what I want to show you." Not giving me time to ask what that thing might be, she grabbed my arm and drug me inside.

The guy behind the counter looked up from his comics, "Hey Monique," and dropped his head to keep reading but popped right back up, "And Bonnie? What are you doing here, you know, during daylight hours when there might be people that can see you?"

"Hey Brian. I'm trying to get over some old habits." he looked worried when I said that, "No I don't mean getting over this place, I mean getting over hiding the fact I like this place. I mean where else can I find my detailed replica of a Jedi knight's cloak?"

"Wait? You know Brian? Brian recognizes you? Brian only takes the time to remember people's names that are here on a regular basis and spend a decent amount of money."

Brian decided I needed a little help with my confessional hour, "Yeah, Bonnie drops by at least once a month, but tries to stop by every week right after the newest shipment arrives. She doesn't want to miss anything or let someone else get their hands on it before she does. Besides, there are only two people that have ever used a platinum card in this store, and my day just got brighter when they both walked through that door together."

"Thanks Brian, I might have to take you up on that duel in _Everlot_ sometime for that information."

"Are you kidding? You'd beat me faster than the Tunnel King could get there to save me from the injustice."

With a laugh she continued to pull me to the back of the store, and as was so kindly pointed out, I know what's where in this store. My pulse quickened at the knowledge of what was back here, "Monique? What exactly is it you wanted to show me?"

"Something that you're probably going to hit me for, but it's so worth it."

I stopped, I knew what she was going to show me, "Hey look at the cool necklaces they have here." While it was originally a ploy to delay what I feared to be the inevitable they did catch my eye.

"Let's see, the Rebel Emblem, the mark from every generation of Star Trek, including the mirror universe Empire one, a few superhero symbols, and a few _mystical_ animal emblems."

"Ooh, isn't that cute?" I pointed to one that caught my eye, it wasn't anything special really. Actually it was rather plain by my typical standards, but I liked it. It was a simple black leather necklace with a small carved monkey pendant that looked like it was made out of marble or something,

"Actually, in an odd kind of way, yeah it is. Too bad your man has a thing for monkeys."

"Might have to help him with that."

She actually laughed at me, "Good luck with that one. I've seen that kid freak out at the zoo because we walked past the chimpanzee cages. He likes monkeys about as much as Kim likes wrestling, maybe less."

"Maybe some 'immersion therapy' will help." I grabbed the necklace off the hook.

"Whatever you say girl, but your still not off the hook." And with that she started to pull me again towards the back of the store.

"No, I'm not going back there, no way, no how."

Surprisingly she let go of my arm, "Okay, then I go get it and bring it up here where Brian can see it, and anybody that happens to be walking by can see, and..."

"Fine, I'm coming." _There was no way I could let her bring **that** up front to me... I still have a little bit of image I want to retain_...

Stepping behind the rack of Jedi cloaks I saw what I knew she was going for, "This'll knock his socks off, and anything else you want knocked off too." She pointed to the case that held the Clone trooper suit and helmet, but not _at_ that. No she was pointing to the joke Lucas put in _Return of the Jedi_, the gold bikini.

"No, and that's final."

"Pwease." I wasn't looking at her when she said it, and turned to ask her what the baby talk was for when I faced what I can only describe as the most convincing face I have ever seen. Her bottom jaw was ever so slightly pushed forward, her bottom lip was fully in "pout mode", mix that with her head being tilted slightly down and her big brown eyes looking up at me... It looked like a lost puppy, not the sick wet kind that you step around to avoid getting to close to in fear of catching something, no this was that look of "I get what I want... Now" look.

I'm not sure how long it took me, or how I was able to break free of that powerful stare, but I finally managed to avert my eyes enough to speak, "No, no, no. I am not buying the gold bikini."

"Wow."

I wasn't sure what she was in awe about, but I sure as heck wasn't going to look at her again to find out, "Wow, what?"

"You are the first person I have ever met that can resist the PDP."

"PDP?"

"Puppy Dog Pout, arguably the single most powerful, non-physical, weapon of persuasion in a woman's arsenal."

"I know why it's called the Puppy Dog Pout, you looked like a lost puppy and it took every bit of strength I had to say no... So how do you do that again?"

"Wait? You mean you don't know how to use The Pout, and have never used it on Ron?"

"No? Why?"

"Girl, I don't know how you keep him on such a short leash without this. But, be warned, only use this in case of emergency. You don't want him to become immune to it's power, and another thing you have to remember is..."

**Ron's POV**

_Wow, I'm exhausted... that was a whole lot harder than I remember last time being... why wouldn't those kids just listen to Kim?... but, nooo they only listened to "Wonnie"... don't get me wrong, I love kids, but they made me run more than I really needed to..._

"Thanks Ron." I looked down at my best friend using my lap as a pillow and looking about as tired as I felt, "I don't know if I could have got those kids out of there if you weren't there." As much as I knew she was right, and as good as I felt about helping those folks out, I couldn't help but feel a little let down that I couldn't spend the rest of the day with Bonnie rather than racing the clock. "You wish you could have stayed don't you?" I just nodded, she knew what I was thinking, she always knows what I'm thinking, "It's not easy to bail when you get the call, and it doesn't get any easier."

Laying my head back and closing my eyes I asked, "Trying to make a point?"

"Not trying to convince you that going out with Bonnie is a bad thing if that's what you think. No, I'm just saying that no matter how many times it happens or how many times you apologize and they forgive you, it doesn't get any easier."

"Gee, thanks for something to look forward to."

"I just don't want to see you like this after every mission, it may not get easier, but how you deal with it can get better."

I looked back down at her, "Good night Kim. I set the Kimmunicator to go off when we get close to home."

Her eyelids sagged, "Good night, Ron." her breathing was steady and I knew she was on her way to another world.

_Man, she's pretty... I won't try and lie to myself and everyone else... I think my best friend is beautiful... and not just physically, she's a beautiful person... look at today... she allowed herself to be drug halfway across the world to save some random village that she didn't even know existed until Wade told us about it... but you know what I've discovered?... while KP is amazing in so many ways I don't think we could work like that... there'd be to much confusion and overlap of our personal and professional lives... I mean, if I screwed up on a mission, I'd be in the dog house for a week... and if I made her mad at home, one of us might get distracted and get hurt... I think things are working out for the best right now..._

_Then again, I could be a little bit biased... I have a totally badical girlfriend that loves me sitting back home... one that I hope to be able to tell all of my secrets someday soon... I just hope she doesn't freak out on me... being the "Chosen One" and the honored wielder of MMP and the Lotus Blade isn't something some people would take lightly... I just have to trust that her love is stronger than the weirdness factor that's gonna add... And, that's another thing... I've been doing some pretty awesome stuff lately, but I haven't felt the MMP flowing... It's like I'm doing it on my own... but that just doesn't make sense at all... maybe Sensei will know what's going on... I'll have to talk to him sometime... not right now though... now it's time for sleep... yep, definitely time for sleep..._

I would have swore I caught the faintest hint of vanilla on the air as I drifted off, but brushed it off as my other senses getting to my dreams before I did.


	13. Head Strong

Sorry about the massive delay, folks. I've been in and out of jobs, frustrated about relationships, and all around uninspired to write... well I recently got a bit of wind to write this chapter. It doesn't answer all the questions I'm sure you're asking, and I don't plan on completely abandoning this story, but right now I'm going to put this one on hiatus. Thanks for all your support and patience up to this point.

Oh, and don't kill me about the end... I wasn't sure what I was gonna do, but I think that works nicely. Reviews would be appreciated.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible, if I did, I would be rich and my stories would be on TV rather than here.

* * *

"Ron, come on honey, wake up." _Oh how I hate those words... almost as bad as meatcakes..._

"Do I have to?" _Maybe this is open for negotiation..._

"Yes, you have to drive that nice young lady back to the airport. Her plane leaves at 10, you know that." _This is gonna be one of those days... I can feel it now..._

"Coming." And with that I began the short process of dragging myself out of bed and throwing on a set of clothes, "Come on Rufus, if I have to get up so do you."

I heard his weak squeaky reply through the shirt he'd turned into his _nest_ for the night, "Oh, man."

"Hey, if you hurry we'll still have time to grab breakfast before we leave." Any mention of a meal and he's typically up and moving, but yesterday was kinda rough on him and he barely stirred, "Alright, I'll just tell Yori that you didn't want to say goodbye."

He finally stuck his head out of the folds and blew a raspberry at me, "Huh, carry." I got the idea and dropped him in my pocket.

I was just finishing breakfast when Kim showed up, "Hey Ron, I figured I'd ride with you to the airport to see Yori off."

"Totally okay with me, KP. Besides, I got a funny feeling."

"Ron, you just ate half the kitchen, of course you're going to feel funny. Now let's go."

I was just getting ready to explain that it wasn't an 'I ate too much' feeling when the phone rang, "Ronald, could you be a dear and get that before you leave."

_What happened to 'you're gonna be late'?... she's gonna drive me nuts_, "Yes ma'am." Kim snickered as I picked up the phone, "Hello."

_"Hey Ron."_

"Hey beautiful, what are you doing up so early on a weekend?"

_"Charm will get you everywhere, but I was calling to see if you wanted company for the ride back from the airport."_

"Well, Kim is coming, but I'm always up for some three-way action." The hit on my arm and the scream in my ear that I couldn't understand made me rethink my wording, "Sorry, bad choice of words. I'm always glad to see my badical girlfriend, and since my best friend is going to be there it'll just be better."

_"Sorry cover, but I'll forgive you. So, when and where do I meet you?"_

"We were getting ready to step out the door right now, so why don't we pick you up on the way?"

_"What!?! I haven't even got my make-up started and I still have to do my hair, and don't even get me started about what is and is not acceptable to where at an airport."_

"Bon-Bon, chill. Make-up, you don't need it, trust me I've seen you in the morning without. Your hair, well to be honest, I like it when you do something simple so I can play with it and not have to worry about messing it up. And to be honest, I don't care what you wear, you could go without and I'd be fine with it."

Silence, dead silence. I looked around and Rufus looked at me like I just said cheese was evil and Kim looked like she was about to cry, "Ron, I'd reconsider how you put that." Then she fell to into a chair laughing at something, _oh... I just said... oops..._

"And I didn't mean that how it sounded, I mea-"

_"So now you **don't** want to see?"_

"Oh man, that's not what I meant either, I'm just going to say goodbye. We'll pick you up in a few."

_"But that won't be enou-" _

_**Click**_

"Was that the smartest thing you could have done right now?" Kim had finally regained her composure.

"Maybe not, but she would have stayed on the phone arguing with me and wasted more time if I hadn't."

"So how long are you going to give her?"

"I'm thinking second breakfast is in order."

She gave me a look questioning my sincerity, "Second breakfast?"

"What, you don't know about second breakfast? What about elevenses? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? You know about them, don't you?" The look on her face told me she had no clue what I was talking about.

"Ron you just named six more meals, last I checked there were 3 meals in most people's day."

"_Most_ people, KP, most people. Last I checked I'm not most people, and someone has to keep the Ronster fed."

"I know, I know, never be normal."

I didn't take the time to acknowledge her, my mind was already wrapping itself around the possibilities I had just opened up, _hmm... I'm thinking omelet... heavy on the cheese..._

**Bonnie's POV**

_He just hung up on me... how dare he?... he's so going to get it when he gets here... oh crap, that means I have to get ready... _I started for the bathroom to put on some make-up and do my hair, but decided to give at least part of what Ron said some credit, _I'm still putting on at least a little make-up... it's not like anybody I know will see me at the airport if I do look bad... but I am going to wear something that will make him think long and hard about his "no clothing" comment..._

It wasn't more than 20 minutes later I was finishing my hair when I heard a car door followed by a knock on the door, "Coming!" I knew who it was, and he'd wait just a minute.

I made my way to the door and was putting on my shoes when I heard, "Come on Bonnie, we don't have all day. Yori's waiting on us." The voice was muffled but unmistakably _hers_ and she was thinking out loud.

Opening the door I managed to catch Ron saying, "Be nice, we still have plenty of time. Mom sent us out so we'd get there a couple hours ahead of time, remember international flight on commercial planes don't just pick you up and take off like our rides."

After hearing a satisfactory 'humph' I cleared my throat, "Ready." I decided from the look on Ron's face that he wasn't lying when he said he likes simple things; I had on a simple purple tee and a light green long-sleeved shirt unbuttoned over it, and a blue skirt that was a little tight in all the right places; his eyes looked like they were gonna pop out of his skull.

An elbow in the side from Kim brought him crashing back to the real world, "Yeah, ready. R-ready as I'll ever be." Kim just rolled her eyes and crawled back in the mini-van, "You look great, you know, not that you don't normally, because you always look great, you just... I'm rambling again, ain't I?" I just nodded, "Well then, how about a good morning kiss and then we go get Yori to the airport?"

"A good morning kiss? After you hung up on me this morning?" He started to grasp for something to say that might redeem his _faux pax_, "And after making me rush through getting ready?" He was getting more desperate by the second, "And after making me feel good about myself, you couldn't get away without a good morning kiss." _Note to self... find out where he learned to kiss and thank her... then kick her tail afterwards..._

_**Honk, Honk!**_

"Coming, KP!" he turned back to me, "You know, I could really get used to waking up to that." Even though I didn't say it right then I agreed with him.

When we picked up Yori, I was going to protest when she insisted that it would be her _honor_ to share the backseat with Ron and allow me to have the front seat. But as he reminded me, she was going back to Japan and they were friends after all. But that didn't stop me from watching her every movement in the mirror and looking back every once in a while to talk.

As Ron predicted, we got to the airport about two hours early. Which meant two hours of sitting in an airport waiting on a plane that would probably be behind schedule because of all the security with _her_. "Let's see... luggage is at the check-in, you have your carry on, I'm assuming you have your ticket, and you did do a final walk through of your hotel room to make sure you didn't leave anything behind right?." _At least he's trying to get rid of her... you know, in a nice way..._

"Yes, yes, no, and yes. In that order."

"Goo-... Wait, no? You don't have a ticket?"

Ron's reaction was the same as mine, just a little calmer, "What do you mean you don't have a ticket, I don't know how they do things over there, but here in the US of A we require a ticket to board a plane. You know, a little piece of paper that says you paid and tells you where to sit?"

I was surprised even more when she nonchalantly said, "No, I do not have my ticket yet. But I will before my departure."

"What do you plan on stealing one from someone else, because that monitor right there says your flight is booked?" _And there is no way you are staying any longer than you have to... I might even snag it for you..._

"Bonnie, I wouldn't worry, Yori knows what she's talking about... usually." I turned to meet Kim's gaze. She mouthed "Don't ask." before turning to find a place to sit in the little restaurant/waiting area.

Ron slid his arm around me and directed Yori and me to follow Kim to a booth, "It'll be okay, I promise." If I didn't know better, I thought I heard a tone of protectiveness in his voice, but there is nothing to worry about so I must be imagining things.

"Of course it will be, with the Chosen One here to protect us no harm can come."

"Chosen One? Let me guess you're some super ninja and you can protect us from any and all harm, right?" I was getting tired of her cryptic talk and constant need for things to be _honorable_.

"No, no I am talking about Sto-"

"She's just talking figuratively." I saw him cast a glare at her that rivaled some I've given before.

"Does she not know of your destiny?" _Okay, this is getting weirder by the second... and what is she talking about destiny?..._

I decided it was time to get to the bottom of this, "What is she talking about, Ron?"

"Nothing, I don't have a destiny and I'm not the Chosen One and..."

"For once we agree," I didn't recognize that voice, but it sounded very British, "You are not the Chosen One, you are an impostor."

Before I could turn to see who was speaking Kim was out of the booth and Ron was pushing me under the table, "Stay here, and don't move." His voice was almost commanding, but I saw fear in his eyes, "Please." He disappeared from my sight as he went to help Kim out.

"What do you want, _Monte_?" I could hear Kim's voice in what Ron calls 'mission mode', "I thought you were still running from DNAmy, or did you finally give up and let her catch you?"

"You retched little tart, if I wasn't here to get the Stone-Skinned Monkey I'd teach you a lesson in manners. Now, where is that blasted thing?"

The surprise in Ron's voice was unmistakable, "Wait a minute? You're looking for some monkey idol, here at the airport?"

"This crystal I found last month showed me where I could find the artifact, but it's not specific. All it showed was the airport and a Monk of the Monkey calender with today's date. I wasn't expecting to run into the poser and his girlfriend."

"For the last time, she's not my girlfriend. And there are no idols around here."

"Then why are you here? I assumed your little computer freak knew one was coming through here and was tracking my movements and sent you."

"For one, Wade is not a freak, look who's talking. And two, we're here to send off a friend, not for official business." Kim sounded tweaked and I was tempted to stick my head out and see what was going on, but Ron asked me to stay still.

"It does not matter, MONKEY NINJA'S ATTACK!" That last line was the last straw, this guy has to be a few cards short of a full deck to yell something like that. I crawled out from under the table and stood up only to find what could be described as Ron's worst nightmare, only he wasn't screaming and running, he was launching the things like rag dolls. "Now, while you are busy I will go find my monkey."

Without missing a beat, Ron quipped up, "So what does this one do, attract _gorillas_ to you? Wait, you don't need any help with that." I honestly thought the lanky British guy was gonna pop a vein.

"On second thought, I think I'm going to have fun with you first." The monkey's that were attacking Ron stopped and parted as the hairy old man took a really awkward stance, "I'm going to teach you some manners, you impostor."

I had seen Kim and Ron do some fighting before and I've seen how Ron can react, but the positions and the speed he got his body into those positions was, as he would say, badical. I think some of the moves he and the other guy pulled off would make Olympic gymnasts jealous. I wasn't the only one watching in awe as those two went at it, Kim and Yori were staring with a dozen or so _ninjas_ standing around each of them watching their master at work.

After a few minutes of flips, kicks and blocked punches Ron broke the silence, "Getting rusty in our old age, are we?"

"You only wish. Now why don't we up the ante." If the fight was crazy before, this could only be described as choreographed chaos. Monkey Breath seemed to be moving at super-human speeds and getting into even more unusual stances, all the while it was obvious he was getting frustrated, "Why won't you use the Mystical Monkey Power? You're defeat is inevitable either way, but I wouldn't mind at least _some_ challenge."

"My defeat? I'm not the one who is loosing an unfair fight." A primal growl and another attempt to pin him caused Ron to do a handspring off his shoulders and land right in front of me, "I thought I said not to move?" Before I could apologize he gave me a peck on the cheek and turned to face the hybrid dusting himself off, "So, Monkey Fist, what is this idol 'posed to do? Really this time, no joking about how you got your opposable thumbs on your feet." _What kind of freak goes by Monkey Fist?..._

"If you must know, the Stone-Skinned Monkey isn't so much an idol as it is a pendant. And it has a number of interesting qualities, including making the wearer nearly invulnerable to physical harm and making them able to root themselves into place." Neither one of them was moving, _it was a stare down... a contest of will power..._ "There it is!" Monkey Fist was pointing in my direction. Everyone turned towards me, and I looked over my shoulder hoping there was someone or something behind me.

**Ron's POV**

_No... please say that is not what he is pointing at... for the love of all that is good in this world, no..._ I knew my hopes were pointless, there was only one simian artifact in sight, and it was laying against the soft, smooth... _okay snap out of it... we got a sitch here... fantasize about Bonnie later..._ "Bonnie, Run!" It was the first thing I could come up with, and if I was her I would have taken my advice.

But, was she me? Oh, no she wasn't. Instead of listening to me, _yet again_, she spoke, "I'm not leaving you here with that unnatural freak of nature."

"Bon-Bon, I know you want to be there for me, and believe me I appreciate it a lot. But..."

I never got to finish that thought out loud, "Monkey Ninjas, get that necklace!" I have never felt that much adrenaline in my life, and that's saying a lot when you consider I invented an X-Games sport, _no matter how short lived it was_, and I perform HALO jumps on a regular basis with Kim.

"Over your flea bitten corpse." They all stopped midway through their first step. I was between Bonnie and the objects of my disdain, and if I had my way it would stay like that.

"Why are you protecting this girl, she is obviously _way_ out of your league. And if I get the necklace without any problems she won't get hurt anyways."

"First off, my _boyfriend_ can protect me _any _day of the week. And no, I'm not out of his league, your's yes, his no. And I think he said it fairly well, you're getting this necklace over your flea bitten corpse." If I was angry with her for not running in the first place, I think her lip with Monkey Fist made up for it.

"Aren't you just the feisty little one, a lot like Ki-" He never finished that statement because he was dodging two chairs.

"I am nothing like Kim." the blood was flowing to Bonnie's face and I was afraid she was going to do something crazy. _But isn't crazy fun... you've done some crazy stuff lately... namely, fight Shego... twice..._

Then I realized that there had been more than one chair in the air at a time, "For once I'll agree with her, she is nothing like me. She's bossy, temperamental, and sarcastic." Everything got silent for a second as we took in what Kim just said, "Okay, so maybe just a little." _ You both threw a chair at him at the same time for crying out loud..._

"Enough of this chitter-chatter. Monkey Ninjas, I said to get that necklace, and unless you want to go see _Auntie Hall_ you will do as I say." An instant later there were about 20 of those extremely scary evil creatures cautiously moving my direction, and looking for a safe way around me. Panic was beginning to sink in, and Monkey Fist saw it, "Things getting to heavy for you? Maybe you should ask your girlfriend to help you. Or you could always try and tap into the Mystical Monkey Power."

The first monkey made a move between my legs while a second was making a leaping swing off the light above me, I managed to grab the gi of the one going over my head and threw it down on top of the one that had just slipped between my feet, the little squeaks and grunts I heard let me know they weren't getting up for a little bit. But by the time I turned back the rest weren't holding back any more, it was a full rush of fur. I'm not sure how, but I stopped almost all of them... almost. One sneaky little guy managed to make it to Bonnie, and was tugging with all he was worth at the necklace, but it wasn't budging, _and neither was Bonnie_. "He's biting me!" Those were the last words it heard before Bonnie grabbed it by the back of the neck and launched it across the room at Monkey Fist. Looking at her hand she appeared shocked, "He bit me, but he didn't hurt me?"

"Hey Monkey Face, looks like she took your advice after all, my girlfriend did help. So now what you gonna do? I'll even give you a head start if you want to run."

"No, we're going to finish this here and now. I want you to open up on let the Power flow, I want you to be trying your hardest when I beat you, so everyone knows that I am the rightful Chosen One."

"I'll consider using my mad Monkey Mojo when I come across a fight worth using it." _Ron, what are you doing?... he's going to slaughter you wholesale... no, don't think like that... I can do this... I don't need the MMP..._

"Have it your way."

I'm not sure how long we were at it, but I do know that by the time we were done he had at least 3 broken ribs and my chest and abs were sore from a few of his open palmed monkey slams. We both stepped back to take a breath, "Had enough old man." _I know I've about had enough..._

"I haven't even began." he managed to wheeze out.

I took a second to look around the terminals, most people were pressed into corners staying as far away from the monkey ninjas as possible. Kim and Yori were standing in the middle of a pile of little gi's, some were moving, most weren't. And Bonnie was... not where she was just a second ago. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye from Monkey Fist's direction and spun to meet it.

It was too late, I was too tired to get my defenses up fast enough, I just closed my eyes and waited on the inevitable pain that was about to come...

_**THUD... thud, bump, bump.**_

I opened my eyes when I realized, that wasn't me bouncing off the floor. If you don't know what an angel looks like, you should have seen what I saw. Bonnie was turning to face me, and Monkey Fist was laying in a pile at her feet, "And stay down, freak!"

I tried to ask how or what happened but I'm pretty sure it came out like random blubbering noises.

"I think what Ron is trying to say is, how?"

"I finally figured out that the crazy old man wasn't as crazy as I thought. When the monkey couldn't bite me, I tried to prick my finger with a safety pin and ended up bending it. And if he was right about that, then I figured he couldn't be to far off about not being able to move me either. So I just stepped in his way... the bug on windshield effect took place and there he is, a human, er monkey, throw rug."

I remember opening my mouth to speak, but never got the words out of my mouth before I felt darkness creeping in on my vision.

**Bonnie's POV**

_When he wakes up I'm gonna... I don't know... I want to kiss him for being the hero, hold him so I know he won't go away on me, and beat the living pulp out of him for hiding something like this from me... and I don't even know what **this** is... Kim and Yori said that it was up to Ron to tell me... and you can bet he will, as soon as he wakes up..._

"Bonnie. Are you gonna be okay?" Kim looked over her shoulder at me cradling Ron's head in my lap as we drove back from the airport.

"Yeah, K, I think I'm gonna be fine." I decided I'd try one more time, "Hey Kim, what was Monkey Fi-"

"No, I told you, you have to ask Ron. There are some things that only he can tell you."

"Do you know what it is?" _Maybe she doesn't even know all of it..._

"I know a lot of it, but there's still stuff he hasn't told me." _What do you know, I was right..._

"Is this the only secret he's been keeping? I remember you saying that you've been in really awkward situations before, do they have anything to do with this?"

"I don't know what he has and hasn't told you, but let's just say that I'd be more comfortable if he was awake before we talked about some of those... awkward situations." She didn't seem to thrilled with the idea of sharing, _probably some embarrassing things for her as well_.

"Bon-Bon?" I looked down to see Ron's eyes flutter open, "What happened? Where are we?"

Before I could answer, Kim spoke from the front seat, "Remember, be nice Bonnie."

"Well, mister I-hate-monkeys-but-fight-like-one, after you passed out. The officials showed up and put the half monkey guy in a cage where he belongs, a couple ninjas dropped through the ceiling tiles with a ticket for your friend, and then Kim and I carried you back to the van." I summarized the past hour and a half rather well I thought.

"And I'm betting you want an explanation, right?" I didn't have to say anything for him to figure out that he was, in fact, right, "Would you believe me if I said I got hit in the head and don't remember anything?"

"If you keep it up, I might hit you in the head hard enough you wouldn't be lying."

Kim spoke up again, "I thought I said to be nice."

"I _am_ being nice."

"KP, don't worry about it, she has every reason in the world, and a few more, to hate me right now."

"I don't hate you, Ron, but I would like some explanations. If you can't talk about it, fine, tell me you can't talk about it, but don't lie to me."

"Can we talk about this later?" I was about to ream him when he added, "I honestly do have a headache, and a nap sounds like a really good idea."

I looked at Kim in the mirror to see what she thought, "I don't think he hit his head, so I doubt he has a concussion." I heard the unspoken, _it's up to you_, in her voice.

I ran my fingers over his eyes and said, "Get some sleep, I'll wake you up when we get to my place. We'll talk about this while we relax, I think I promised a massage in a hot tub. Don't wanna go back on my word, now do I?"

"No, couldn't have that." Almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth he was asleep again.

The rest of the ride was almost silent, I tried a couple more times to get something out of Kim, but I swear she could see right through me each time and never let anything slip. We finally got to my place and I woke Ron out of his self induced coma and made our way inside, "So, why don't you slip into a pair of shorts and meet me outside, I'm going to go put on my suit."

"What's going on?" My father decided to step into the room right then.

"Nothing, Daddy. Ronnie's just had a hard couple of days, and I promised him a massage in the hot tub. Besides, we have some things we need to talk about." Ron looked like he was stuck between wanting to run screaming out the front door and form tackling me and making some of my wilder dreams come true. _Making me wonder why I agreed to wait..._

He looked Ron up and down, sizing him up before saying, "Carry on." as he walked out the door.

"Did that really just happen?"

I tried not to laugh at Ron as he looked stupefied, "Yes, Daddy just left us alone in the house knowing full and well that we would be getting in the hot tub. He trusts us, especially after yesterday."

"So, I wake up on a a girls couch, with said girl and their dad trusts me? I'm so confused, I don't wanna figure it out, so I'm gonna go change in the spare bathroom. I'll meet you outside in a bit." he gave me a quick peck on the cheek and disappeared down the hall.

As much as I wanted to go help him change, I also knew that Daddy wasn't leaving for any reason, he was in his own weird way testing us, and I planned on passing his test with flying colors. I made it to my room and realized that I had a big decision to make, which swimsuit should I wear? I could go for the blue bikini, now that would knock his socks off for sure, or I could wear that cute little green two-piece I bought last summer, it's a little tight up top, but it covers more. Then again there's my white one-piece, and Ron did say he likes things simple... yep, we have a winner.

**Kim's POV**

"Well, I'm glad that went off without a hitch." I swear his voice is as smooth as Ryan from the _Oh Boyz_.

"Yeah, so am I. You know, if fighting a bunch of monkeys wearing ninja outfits is without a hitch." What can I say, I was slightly frustrated that I didn't get any real action. _Of course, when it's Monkey Fist I never do..._

"At least this time we get to sit down and eat without any interruptions." I could hear him making fun of me without saying anything.

"Come on, you know I couldn't have let him see us. At least until after I was sure this is what I wanted." The squeeze on my hand reassured me that he understood, "Besides, did you really want to be here with those two all over each other _and_ the awkwardness of having a fifth wheel?"

"You know, I was thinking about trying a fifth wheel... for stability."

I about started to apologize again when I saw his face, "Not this time Mr. Renton, I'm on to you now."

"Oh really?" I just nodded with a look of confidence, "Then come here, I have a secret." I leaned towards him so he could talk quieter, "No, closer, I don't want anybody to over hear." So I leaned in a little more... only to have him raise the last few inches and put his lips on mine. All my worries and frustrations disappeared in that instant.

_**Ahem.**_

I instantly sat back up, blushing, and saw an older gentleman standing there, "I trust that your evening is going well?"

"Yes, Alfred, this evening is going very well."


	14. Sex then Chocolate

**Chapter Break– Begin 14 Monday**

A/N: First off, sorry for taking so long to update. But work has finally slowed down a lot, I'm still on the road every week living out of a hotel, but I'm trying to keep my hours at 40 (hasn't happened but twice all year so far though). Please accept my humblest apologies.

And, yes, before you ask, Bonnie is showing a bit of her impulsive side (read: bitchiness) in this chapter (she _is_ still Bonnie), I promise it will all be explained.

Don't forget the 3rd Annual Fannies, send you votes to Zaratan. Vote early, and vote often...

Disclaimer: I don't own KP, if I did I'd be rich and my ideas would be on television. I'm pretty sure the Mouse has all rights to the characters.

* * *

**Ron's POV**

"STOPPABLE!" I knew what the voice meant, I'd been caught.

I pulled back slowly from Bonnie and turned to meet the large man storming down the hall, "Hey, Mr. B. How's it hanging?"

"What is the meaning of this?" _I thought it was obvious, I was making out with my beautiful girlfriend between classes_, but before I could make the situation worse by saying something stupid he continued, "I just checked the inbox on my desk, and your homework was turned in a whole day early. And you want to know what else?" I was completely lost at this point, _I thought he was mad_, so I just shook my head, "You missed 4 of them."

I couldn't help myself anymore, "Wait, wait, you mean you're not here to give me a detention for... Umph." An elbow in my ribs and a funny look from Barkin made me start over, "Weren't there like a gazillion questions on that last assignment?"

"Actually, there were only 50... and half of them were essay questions. Which means that you either got a 92 percent, or the laws of mathematics have changed in the last few minutes." I was beginning to wonder why he was mad when he lowered his window rattling voice to a low rumble, "And I checked it against the _only_other assignment that had been turned in early... and you didn't copy it." his eyes flashed towards the beautiful brunette standing beside me, "Rockwaller, you ever considered going into education? You've done things in the last few weeks that I'd been trying to do for a few years."

I was going to say something, but didn't get a chance before he made an about face and returned the way he came, "Did he just say I did good?"

"Yes, Ron. You did good. Now, where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?"

Inches away from having a smile plastered on my face for the rest of the day and the same echoing voice came down the halls, "STOPPABLE!" I cringed before turning towards the sound of his voice, "The school board still hasn't changed the PDA policy. And Rockwaller, if you encourage his misbehavior, you will join him in detention. I don't care if you are a cheerleader or not."

I swear that man lost every nice bone that he once had during his last camping trip with the Pixie Scouts, there is no other explanation for it. With a sigh of resignation, I said, "Well, I guess I'll see you at cheer practice."

**Bonnie's POV**

Barkin's interruption was barely a blip on my radar today. I was still reeling from the conversation I had with Ron two days ago. I had picked out the perfect suit to boggle his brain, then I started asking questions... He explained a lot of the stranger things that no one knew what the cause was, _I really need to get my hands on a truth ray_. And filled me in on a few of the weirder stuff that never got outside of Team Possible, _heck, I didn't know you could switch people's minds from one body to another_.

It wasn't till halfway through getting changed for cheer practice that a realization hit me. I spun on the only person in the locker room that could get my temper raised without speaking a word and started laying into her, "I can't believe you! How could you not tell me you've seen each other in all your glory?"

"What?" She apparently wasn't expecting me to jump her today, "What are you talking about Bonnie?" _Or, she really didn't have a clue what I was talking about._

"What am I talking about? I'll tell you what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the time that you spent a few days in my boyfriend's body. Or did you forget about that little incident?" Her face rapidly collecting blood, and matching her hair's color let me know she hadn't forgot, "Well, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"Bonnie, can we talk about this after practice? I'd really like to have Ron around when we talk about this." I saw something I rarely get the pleasure of seeing, Kim Possible was nervous.

And while I typically get a thrill out of that, I also made the connection that she was probably doing this just as much for his sake as for her own, _which is the only thing that kept me from pursuing things farther,_"Don't think for a minute that I'm going to forget this Possible. As soon as practice is over, you and me are going to have a little sit down." The locker room was eerily silent the rest of the time it took me to get dressed. But, I guess it's just as well no one tried to talk to me, I might very well have torn them apart as a warm up for the red-headed bimbo. I was stepping into the gym and looked back to see her pulling her top on, _at least I don't have anything to worry about there_, "Don't even think about trying to draw practice out more than necessary, we're going to discuss this one way or another." I was satisfied that she was thoroughly ruffled up, and strode into the gym.

"Hey beautiful." He was still sucking up to me, I guess when I wouldn't talk to him yesterday he got nervous. What can I say, he dropped a lot of stuff on me, and I needed time to sort it all out. His timid voice broke through my thoughts as he got closer to me, "I know that look. Who made you mad enough to get the unfortunate pleasure of meeting your not-so-nice side?" _Such a nice way of asking who brought out the bitch in me._

"Some annoyingly over-perky cheerleader that we're going to talk with after practice, nothing to worry about Ronnie." I was in a whole lot better mood, but he was still standing just outside of arms reach, so I stepped towards him and put my arms on his shoulders, "I promise it's nothing you need to be worried about." The locker room door slamming itself caused me to smirk, "Now, she might need to worry."

"Time to get started girls. Now is not the time to be having sweet-talk time with your boyfriend, or girlfriend, _Ron_." Her voice was a little on the tweaked side, all evidence of uncertainty was gone, _too bad... I rather enjoyed seeing her squirm._

"You two are going to be the death of me." A quick peck on the cheek was all I got before 'The Mad Dog' came out to play... banana cream and all. I wish I could say that it was endearing that he was that motivated and full of school spirit, but the foaming mouth was one thing I could do without.

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on what your view was, Kim didn't try to delay the inevitable, _darn it, I was really looking forward to yelling at her for that too_, and practice went off without any hitches. The locker room didn't have the somber attitude that it did before practice, my outburst was merely a distant memory in the other girls heads. Kim was taking her time getting ready, but I think that was more for the other's benefit than pushing things off longer. I took the time to 'size up the competition' as it were, now don't get me wrong, I don't bat for the other team or anything, but I had made it my job to know what does and doesn't get the boys going in the past. Unfortunately, Kim had a lot going for her, and the thought that Ron had a couple days in her body... it just didn't settle well. Of course, I can't say that her having a couple days of free reign in my boyfriend's body was all that appealing either, even if it was before I opened my eyes to the wonders freak fighting did for him.

"Well, lets go get this over with. Ron's probably wondering what's taking so long, and I really don't want him barging in here trying to stop a fight that's not going to take place." The tone of her voice was one that crossed demanding and hopeful. It was rather pathetic on her part to let the hopefulness slip through, I thought.

She was nearly right, as we stepped out of the locker room, Ron had been obviously pacing right outside. I could see the tension leave his shoulders as soon as he saw us both step out unharmed, "I was beginning to worry, Tara said something about you two arguing, and I know that it wouldn't be a good thing if my girlfriend tried to start a fight with my best friend, and completely tore up the locker room. I mean, tearing up the school or something fighting a villain is one thing, but fighting with with someone here at school... I don't think GJ would pay for those damages. And I don't even want to think about what the two of you would look like, I mean... I'm rambling, and I'm about to say something that will get either one, or both of you mad at me, so I think it's time I shut up. Don't you think it's time I shut my mouth Rufus?" No response, "Rufus? Where are you little buddy, I could really use some backup right now."

There was a barely audible squeak from the other end of the gym, where Rufus was crawling up the pant leg of Monique, who looked like she was heading our way to talk. She held out her hand where he continued squeaking and making gestures, to which she stopped in her tracks and replied, "Oh, well I guess I can wait. K, I'll see you at work later. Ron... good luck, and I'll drop Rufus off at your place on my way home. Later Bonnie!" She hadn't made it a few steps when Rufus started squeaking again, she laughed and caused Ron to turn red by saying, "No, I don't think mud wrestling is a good way for them to solve this problem, whatever_it_ is. I don't care if you think it would be fun to watch or not."

As soon as they stepped around the corner Kim beat me to the answer, "NO! Ron, we are not going to mud wrestle, don't even think about it."

"At least we agree on something. Besides, I wouldn't want to embarrass you."

"Girls, girls, can't we all just get along?"

I agreed with Kim for the second time in that many minutes as we both glared at him and snapped, "NO!"

"Sorry I asked, but I don't even know what you guys are arguing about this time. Can someone fill me in on the little details here? At least let me know what I'm getting in the middle of." You could hear the dread in his voice, but at the same time the acknowledgment that he had to play referee, _I almost feel sorry for him_.

I didn't really want to be mean to him, but my frustration came out harsh, "Well, I'm rather pissed that Kim over there has not only seen you in all your glory, but also 'handled the goods' for a couple days."

"It's not my fault that our minds were switched." You could almost hear the defensive walls being built.

The blood ran out of Ron's face when he realized what our discussion was about, "Bonnie, I thought you were okay with everything I told you?"

"Do you have any idea how much you fed me in that hot tub? I'm still trying to process a lot of it, and of course I'm not okay with her getting to see you in ways that I can only dream about right now." I really hadn't intended for that all to come out the way it did, but what's done is done.

A few moments of what I considered unnecessary silence, Kim spoke, "Bonnie, do you really think that I wanted to be stuck in a boys body for a couple days? And do you really think that Ron wanted to spend a couple days in _my_ body?" Okay, so I had apparently struck a nerve with her, the way she spoke about her body made it sound like she was ashamed of her figure.

"Bon-Bon." I caught the sound of hurt in his voice, and I was seriously worried that I was the one that was to blame, "Kim's right, it's not like she enjoyed being stuck in my body. She about had to forfeit nationals that year because of that mess. Remember when I 'saved the day' and did that massive floor flippy, jumpy, thingy?" I'm pretty sure that if anatomy would have allowed it, my jaw would have been sitting next to my feet, he'd forgotten to mention that point, "Apparently, I'm physically able to do that, but my mind doesn't like to talk with the rest of my body as well as Kim's brain does."

"Yeah, and we're still working on that, aren't we Ron?" She didn't give him a chance to answer before turning back to me, "And can you honestly say that you would want to spend a couple days trapped in Ron's body?"

"Hey! Are you saying there's something wrong with being me? I'm rather happy with me."

This discussion was obviously starting to wear on her as she sighed, "No, Ron. There is nothing wrong with being you, in fact there are plenty of things right about you. But I'm _not_ you, and it was really awkweird for me to be a guy."

Maybe it was Ron rubbing off on me, or maybe I just liked seeing Kim uncomfortable, but I couldn't resist answering her last question, "Actually, I'd be quite happy to spend a couple days in Ron's body." I wasn't however expecting Ron's reaction, and it was only Kim's reflexes that kept him from hitting his head on the floor as he passed out.

My remark was completely lost at that point, Kim was too worried about not dropping my boyfriend, and I was too worried that I might have completely fried his brain, "Can you do something besides just stand there Bonnie? I barely have a hold of him as it is."

The next few minutes were rather uneventful, I had calmed down enough to think straight, and most of my focus was on Ron anyways. I sat there holding his head in my lap, running my fingers through his hair, knowing that I couldn't mess it up anymore than it already was. For a second I thought about apologizing to Kim, but something else about the our conversation caught my attention, "Kim." I made sure I kept all the contempt I felt towards her out of my voice, "You should know that you don't have anything to be ashamed of." I'm not sure if she didn't know what I was talking about, or if the fact that I was actually being nice was the reason she didn't say anything, so I continued, "I think that if I was a guy that liked you, like_that_, I think that, hypothetically speaking, I wouldn't be overly unhappy about being in your body." Okay, so it wasn't perfect, but that's the best she's going to get out of me.

"Thanks, I guess?" It was obvious that she wasn't expecting me to say anything remotely not mean and wasn't sure how to take it. "So... are we okay now?"

I had to stifle a laugh at that, "No, we're a long way from being 'okay'," I took a deep breath, "In fact, I doubt we're 'okay' before we graduate, I have a lot issues with you, this just happened to be the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak."

"So it's safe to say you like me about as much as Ron likes beefcakes?"

It was hard not to cringe physically at her comment, "Can you not use Ron for your little comparisons? I don't need you to rub it in my face you know him better, I didn't think there was a food out there, aside from that whack golfer guys haggis, that he didn't like. I mean, he does eat the cafeteria's mystery meat special without much complaint."

"I only eat that because the school doesn't serve Bueno Nacho."

I instantly went into apology mode and leaned to wrap his head in a hug, "I'm so sorry Ronnie, I didn't even think about how what I was saying might affect you. Please, I'm sorry, forgive me?" Dead silence, "Ronnie...?"

I leaned back and saw his expression was blank again, "Bonnie, you might want to reconsider how you... hug him next time he wakes up. I think his brain couldn't take the overload." It took me a second to realize that I had, in fact, wrapped his head in a hug... right up against my chest. I felt horrible by this point, I had just made my boyfriend pass out twice by unintentionally overloading his poor little hormone driven male brain.

Kim mumbled something about going to get the car, so I threw her my keys, "Don't scratch it, or I'll kick your..."

"Not now, I'm not in the mood to bicker." I swear, she can disappear quicker than most people... and make it look like she wasn't hurrying.

I kept stroking that soft tangle of blond, waiting on him to wake up. I started to think out loud, "Come on Ron. I'm sorry. I know I've said that more in the past few weeks than the rest of my life added up, and I meant it every time. I was just worried, and jealous, and... I don't know, I'm a wreck. It's all your fault, you know. If you hadn't been so nice to me, I would still be... Thanks. I don't know if I've said that, but thank you for saving me." I didn't want him to hear me rambling so I leaned in and kissed his forehead.

About the time Kim stepped back inside, Ron started moving again, "Boobies..." It took him a couple more seconds to fully come to, and when he did the first words out of his mouth were, "I thought I was going to wake up in Heaven, I swear my brain was going to shut itself off, but this is a whole lot better." It's hard to take a compliment like that and not glow.

"Come on you two, Bonnie's car is right outside." Her mood had improved considerably, but I noticed her keeping an eye on me, expecting me to go off on her again I guessed.

"Are you two done fighting? 'Cause if not, I can pass out again." I slid out from under his head and to my feet, only to turn and help him up.

"We're done for right now, like I said, there's a lot to process, and I'm sure Prin- er, I mean, Kim will get more than one ear full before it's all said and done." I couldn't help but lean against his chest, "I'm sorry I blew up though, it's not fair to you, is it?"

"Bonnie, trust me, I don't blame you for not trusting me. I've lost more than one boyfriend because the whole world saving thing was too much for them to handle, and I spent more time with Ron, and knew Ron and he knew me better than them."

Again, I wasn't able to engage my brain to mouth filter in time, "I wasn't apologizing to you, K. I was apologizing to my boyfriend, who has put up with me yelling at his best friend and been caught in our cross-fire more times than I'd like to count." I caught a glimpse of her shoulders sagging in defeat out of the corner of my eye, and was about to let myself enjoy a small victory smile when I noticed Ron followed suit and his shoulders dropped a little. I knew I had to suck it up and try to make this a little better, since I was partly to blame, "But, I guess he's not the only one I should say sorry to." I left it hanging there, but I felt my meaning was clear, _and there was no way I was going to actually __**say**__ I was sorry to her_.

**Ron's POV**

I stood there in the gym holding Bonnie as she apologized to me, and almost kinda apologized to KP and began to wonder if they would ever get along for more than a day or two at a time, "Well, since that's all clear as... something clear, why don't we all go enjoy..."

I didn't get to finish as the two females in the gym with me finished my statement for me, "Bueno Nacho." They both said it, but with greatly varying enthusiasm, Bonnie was more than eager to go, and Kim didn't sound overly thrilled with the idea.

It didn't take long with Bonnie driving to get there, and I went to get our orders in. As usual, Ned was quick about getting his most loyal customers their food, and I walked back to the same booth I'd sat in the last few years. Not surprisingly, it was silent upon my arrival, "Here's some bondigity food to make the day better for my ladies." My arm went around Bon-Bon's waist as I slid in next to her, but both were still silent and it was starting to make me nervous, "Umm, hey there's food here, what's the sitch now?"

Something happened at that moment that completely confused me... more than normal, Bonnie just buried her head in my shoulder and Kim's jaw tensed like I'd seen it do all too many times when she's trying not to break down, "Sorry Ron, we were just talking while you were getting the food, and we are both... on edge right now. So, we're avoiding talking to each other for a couple more days to... let our heads clear."

I had no clue what she was talking about, and was about to say as much when Bonnie lifted her head back up, "Ron, to be perfectly blunt, I'm PMSing and so is Kim. So, for everybody's health, we're just not going to talk when we're just as likely to rip each other's heads off as we are to buy the other ice cream." Her face lost all emotional turmoil as she turned to her plate and began to cut the chicken enchilada. I chanced a glance at Kim to see her completely embarrassed that Bonnie would admit something like that, quickly collecting herself she turned to the salad in front of her. I knew it was better for my health to follow their example and eat my food before it got cold, _Bueno Nacho makes everything better_.

I walked Kim home, just sticking my head in long enough to say hi to the rest of the Possibles, _and dodge a rocket_, before walking Bonnie the rest of the way to my house. We still hadn't said much, I wasn't sure what I could and couldn't say, I was just holding her close, trying to protect her from the wind as much as my little frame could. I wasn't however expecting the reaction I got when we stepped inside, "Ron, sit down." As soon as my butt hit the couch, she was doing her best imitation of a cat curling up in my lap with her head tucked under my chin, "Tell me I'm beautiful Ronnie, tell me that I'm the only person you want to hold like this."

"Bonnie, I tell you a dozen times a day that you are beautiful, and that hasn't changed. You are beautiful, and as my girlfriend, of course you are the only person I want to hold like this." I tried my best to let her know I wasn't lying to her and kept hugging her tighter.

Apparently I wasn't convincing enough, she half laughed, half snorted, "So, it's only because I'm your girlfriend that you want to hold me like this?" She tried to get up, but I wasn't letting go, I may not be good at words, but I hoped holding on would be enough to get what I seemed incapable of saying to her. She didn't struggle too much, and quickly pulled back closer, "You shouldn't have to put up with me when I'm like this."

I knew I had to say something, so I moved so I could look her in the eyes, "Bon-Bon, I've told you already, I love you." A smile broke across both our faces, it still felt really good to say that once in a while, "Even if you are having girl problems." Unfortunately, my brain chose that moment to realize what a stupid thing that was to say, "Not that _that_ is a problem, I mean it's not like you can do anything about it, and that's how nature works. And..." Fortunately though, my brain could be turned to putty with the simple gesture of a kiss.

It wasn't one of those kisses that curls your toes, it was actually rather quick, but I understood it's meaning and smiled as her head went back to resting under my chin. We sat there for close to half an hour without moving or saying anything, so when she did speak it startled me a little, "Will you walk me home?"

As usual, it didn't take long to get to her house, "Well, here we are." I gave her a small kiss on the cheek before turning to walk home.

"Ronnie? Come inside and warm up before you walk back, don't want you to catch cold and miss school, do we?" Who was I to argue with her logic. Her hand in mine guided me to the couch as soon as my shoes dropped off, then pressed me on my back as she laid down half beside, and half on me. I closed my eyes, thinking a nap sounded like a wonderful idea. I don't think I had been asleep long when I felt her moving to lay completely on top of me, I was about to go back to sleep when I felt her breath on my face. Opening my eyes a little I came face to face with an expression I had only seen on her face a couple times, "Ron, show me how beautiful you think I am." Her voice was barely a whisper, but the intent behind it was clear as a Caribbean sunset. And if there were any doubts in my mind what she was talking about, the kiss that followed was one that even I couldn't miss the meaning behind, she wanted to go... _there_.

My hands seemed to get a mind of their own as they latched onto her hips and held her close to me while our tongues got better acquainted. I knew as soon as the kiss started that this wasn't a good idea, but that thought seemed to drown in the fact that this kiss felt REALLY good. It wasn't until her waist started to move in my grasp that I was able to return to reality, "Bonnie..." I found it difficult to keep talking when her lips reclaimed mine as her own. I was thoroughly enjoying the motion of our clothed bodies against each other, it was about that time I realized how much I was enjoying it and grabbed tighter to hold her in place, "Bonnie, if you keep doing that, I'm going to have an accident."

While grabbing my earlobe between her teeth I was able to hear her say, "It's only an accident if we don't want it to happen." When I still didn't loosen my hold, _which took every ounce of willpower I had_, she leaned back so she was sitting over me, "What? I want you to show me how beautiful I am, I want you to make me feel like a woman, Ronnie." Her voice went from harsh and demanding to begging in a matter of seconds.

"I thought we were going to wait?" Not that my body wanted to wait, nope it was ready and willing to go, but I was pretty sure I was awake and paying attention the last time we talked about this and decided to wait a while.

I had let my attention lapse in holding her still, and the abrupt grinding motion she did made it perfectly clear that she was having an effect on me, "I can tell you don't want to wait, and I want to feel beautiful." Again her voice was different this time, it was laced with seduction and promise. I closed my eyes to try and clear my head to come up with a good reason not to do what she was asking, _I couldn't think of any, as hard as I tried I just couldn't_, when her voice once again caught my attention, this time filled with hurt, "Am I not pretty enough? Did I do something wrong?"

She started to crawl off of me, but I pulled her back down. She seemed to loose the strength to sit upright and collapsed on me again, "No, you didn't do anything wrong, Bon-Bon." I could feel her entire body start to shudder now and then, "Don't cry, you are beautiful. And there is nothing I would rather do right now than to carry you upstairs and show you exactly how beautiful I think you are, but the last time we talked about this, you wanted to wait." Her gyrations had ceased, so I allowed my hands to move, one softly stroked the small of her back while my left started to run through her loose hair, "I'm completely clueless about girls, but I do know that you are beautiful." When I felt her relax a little more, I continued, "I don't know what to do, I mean, I love you without question, but I don't think that that would show you how beautiful I think you are."

"I hate... everything right now." There was a deep sorrow, and a bit of bitterness in her words now, "I can't believe I was trying to throw myself at you like some cheap floozy, I hate the fact that I can't control my hormones and for a few days every month I have no idea how I'm going to act from minute to minute. I hate the fact that you were able to keep a level head, but even more, I hate that I put you in a position where you had to."

When I figured she was done I lifted her face to meet mine, "No big." I'm pretty sure that if we would have been far enough apart for her to draw back, I would have gotten punched for that, "You can hate the world all you want, I'm still not going anywhere."

"Thanks Ron." She leaned little more to connect our lips.

A deeper voice came from behind the couch, "I'm going to disagree, it's about that time when you should be leaving." I began to sweat instantly, _oh Holy Naco, how much did he over hear?_, "Bonnie, it's about time you got cleaned up for supper, your Mom is bringing carry-out home with her."

As Bon-Bon got off of me, I realized that my problem wasn't noticeable, and only our clothes were in a crumpled state, "Hey Mr. R, how's it going?" _Act cool, and get out of here as fast as possible_.

"It's going fine, Ronald." I knew when to take a hint and quickly made it to the door to put my shoes on.

Bonnie didn't seem to be worried about her dad's presence and came to help me get my coat on. "You be careful out there, I know you're a bit clumsy, and don't want to end up visiting you in the hospital because you slipped and knocked your head." She tip-toed and kissed my cheek and whispered, "I love you."

The large man that hadn't moved since I first saw him was making me a little nervous, but figured I would chance it and leaned in to kiss her quickly, "I love you, too." Standing straighter I turned towards the door, "I'll see you at school tomorrow. Later, Mr. Rockwaller!" And with that I made a hasty exit, hoping nothing would come chasing me out the door.

**Bonnie's POV**

I knew Daddy was still standing behind me, and I was just as nervous about what he might have overheard as Ron was, I just couldn't show it. It wasn't that I really cared, Ron had just kissed me in front of my dad, none of my other boyfriends would even hold my hand when he was near. I'm pretty sure I was glowing a little when he finally spoke and I turned to face him, "So, I take it things are going well with you and Ronald." _I never will figure out why he uses Ron's full name._

I also knew he heard more than he was letting on, "How much?" When he didn't say anything I clarified, "How much of our conversation did you listen to before interrupting?"

"Are you accusing me of spying on my youngest daughter?" I didn't have to say anything, he knew exactly what I was saying, "Fine, I was walking by about the time you started crying I think." A list of expletives that would make a sailor blush ran through my head in the brief silence, "I'm not sure whether to be glad that the boy has more guts than anyone else I've ever met, or worried that next time he might cave under your pressure."

"There won't be a next time for him to cave, I'm not going to make him have to tell me no again." I had already made that decision in my head, "I don't know if I could take it to hear him say no again." The words left my mouth before I realized the implications.

"My little girl's growing up isn't she?" He started towards the kitchen but when I didn't move from the doorway he called, "Well, come on, this conversation is far from over. Your mom had a problem in New York, she won't be home till tomorrow." Unsure of what to expect, I was hesitant to follow him. When I did step in he was digging through the cabinets, "Sit, I'll have the cocoa going in a second." I figured he'd be yelling at me for what I did earlier, especially if he heard all that, but I found it was much scarier when he was calm like this. A cup of liquid chocolate slid in front of me, "Bon-Bon... You're not supposed to be old enough for this yet. It was just yesterday that you were dragging me off to play tea party and watch you practice for your newest ballet recital."

I think I was having one of those days where the normal censor on my mouth called in sick, "Oh great, this is gonna be 'the talk', isn't it?"

I regretted saying it when I saw his jaw clench, "Well, I guess it was going to be. Let me guess, you think you're too old to listen to your old man?"

"No! I'm sorry Daddy. I'm just having a really crappy day, and saying things without thinking, and... GRRrr." He could tell I was getting frustrated, I only ramble and make noises when I'm completely scatterbrained.

I wanted to wipe the smirk off his face when he continued, "I don't think this is gonna be your typical 'talk', by the sounds of it I'm betting you both know the basics of..."

That's when I saw my opportunity to turn the tables a little, "Sex? Come on Dad, say it, your little girl knows about sex."

"Fine, fine, you get the point. But do you know the difference between... sex," I managed to not laugh as he struggled to say that in front of me, "and love?" I wasn't expecting this turn of events, and about dropped my coffee mug, "Bon-Bon, you are my little girl, you will always be my little girl that loves do prance around on her tiptoes. I don't want you to grow up at all, but since that's out of my control I don't want you to grow up too fast. I know you think you love him," I started to stand to protest when he held up his hand, "Listen, I'm not saying you don't. Hell, I'm pretty sure that's the first time I've ever heard you tell someone that, and I know he's the first one to have enough of a spine to kiss you when they even thought I was present. Maybe you two are going to live to be old and gray together, and maybe you guys are going to go your separate ways when you talk tonight on the phone, I don't know. I just don't want you jumping head first into anything."

"Dad, if you were standing there, you know we've talked about... _that_." I couldn't help but notice the irony of me having trouble saying it now, "You also probably heard us both say we wanted to wait." He nodded acknowledging me and encouraging me to finish, "We both really do want to wait, right now my body is screaming at me not to wait, and I'm pretty sure Ron is taking his time out in the cold air or he's at home taking a cold shower. What happened earlier is my fault, I was getting jealous because of some things that I found out about him and another girl that happened in the past, and for some reason my hormones decided that if I could 'make him mine' that I wouldn't have anything to worry about." We sat there in silence, drinking our hot chocolate, for a few minutes before I spoke again, "As much as it hurt to hear him say no, it's comforting to know he respects me enough to say no. Especially when I was practically throwing myself at him."

"Sounds like you got a good man, not some half grown boy, but a real man." I couldn't help but laugh, no one had ever said something like that about Ron, "What? So what if he acts like a kid most of the time, what I heard this afternoon told me that he's a man, a boy would have, as he so poetically put it, 'carried you upstairs and shown you exactly how beautiful he thinks you are'. Bonnie, I won't make you promise not to do anything with him, you're an adult, as much as I hate to admit it, and you need to make your own decisions. But, I am going to ask that you think long and hard about anything you do before you do it, and talk with him about it too. He may look at the world with a child like wonder, but there's a man in there when it comes down to it." I felt a little relief that Dad was taking this so well, and sat there smiling out the window, "Well, drink up, don't want your cocoa to get cold." I noticed he was back at the cabinet getting more out.

I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his chest, "Thanks Daddy." It was long overdue, but I figured better late than never.

Without missing a step he answered, "No problem, Bon-Bon, I like chocolate as much as anybody else."

* * *

I'm putting this here as a disclaimer, not all women are affected as rashly as was shown in this chapter. And they aren't alway affected the same way, some months are just bad. My information for her behavior is from being very close friends with a woman, I found out more about "that" time of the month than most guys will ever want to know. Fortunately, it made our friendship stronger by knowing what to expect, and allowing her someone she could vent too if she needed without feeling bad. And, before you ask, I have seen hormonally driven mood swings that are far worse than those Bonnie exhibited here. 


	15. Can you say Awkward?

A/N: Time warp ahead to the second week of February (yes, I know that the middle of June is a bit late for a Valentine's Day fic, it just struck me as working here), I realized I was never specific what month it was so I'll clarify that the story began shortly after winter break and their "evil" Biology experiment was the first big assignment from Barkin. And Shego's "high school" tone in her email... I see it as her trying to grasp a little bit of youth where she can; she had to grow up fast to keep an eye on her brothers (Hego from "Stop Team Go!" did mention that she was the one that held things together). And yes, Bonnie is a bit conceited (some things never change completely), she's the best there is as far as she's concerned (Ron isn't helping this issue any at all either)... I could go into the psychology of this, but even with someone there showing her up on a semi-regular occasion (see: Kim Possible) she still regards herself as the best there is to offer (except when pity fest rolls around see: end of ch. 2).

I should note that this chapter is a strong 'T' rating (heavy kissing and strong language), and for those that have read the supplement I wrote for this story (_Questions, Questions, and Kisses_) and wondered what Ron was rambling about when he said "...we haven't done _that_, er, I mean anything _near_ that. Well, except that once you walked in…" this is that time he was talking about. And I dip a bit more into the Mr. Rockwaller character towards the end, hope you enjoy it.

* * *

**Bonnie's POV**

_The Fates would have to stretch themselves to make life any better for me_, were the thoughts running through my head as I got ready for another day at Middleton high. And I honestly believed that, with the way the last month had gone I couldn't ask for much to make it better.

The sound of a Blaster immediately followed by an explosion coming from behind me caught my attention. It was odd, I wasn't expecting any E-mails today, but the sound effects that I finally convinced Wade to put on my computer did bring a smile to me. I wasn't in a hurry, so I finished getting around before opening my mail... My mood immediately changed, wiping my smile away, it was from 'emeraldfire (at) Vilnet (dot) com'.

_Kitten,_

_This Friday around 1700-ish I'm kidnapping your boy toy (I want supper around 1830-1900). Deal with it. I guess you're welcome to come too, if you promise to behave yourself._

_So, now that the pleasantries are done... How are you? Got yourself a piece of Ron meat yet? You're lucky he's got the friends he does, or I'd make him a permanent resident of my kitchen, but I'd rather not have to deal with Princess breaking my door down every day. But I guess that's another discussion for another time._

_Don't forget to Write,_

_'Ashley'_

_P.S. I know how much you hate being called 'Kitten' so I tried to find another name that fits you... let's just say that Kitten is the only one you want me to repeat in public._

I could almost hear the growl in my own voice as I thought out loud, "Great, now I get the pleasure of telling Ron that he's a hot commodity, this is so going to make him big-headed."

I hurried over and knocked on Kim's door, then ducked as that same door flew open and something came at my head with a trail of smoke and a voice yelling behind it, "Tweebs!" Then seeing who it was at the door the owner of that voice said, "Good reaction time, come on in."

The older Possible woman stepped into the room, "Now boys, what have I told you about rockets in the house. And it's not polite to hit guests with them either. Sorry, Bonnie they've been quiet lately, I should have seen that as a sign that they were up to something." The way she talked about it, this was more of a common occurrence than not.

"Ron's already started eating 'first' breakfast without you and said something about you joining in for 'second' breakfast, so you might want to hurry if you want any bacon." I nodded my acknowledgment to Kim as I made my way towards the kitchen, where the smell of her mother's cooking was sure to be.

"G'morning Bon-Bon." It still amazes me, and slightly disgusts me, that he is able to speak that clearly with that much food in his mouth.

I felt a tug at the bottom of my capri's, "Uh-huh, munin' Bonay." It's hard not to like the little guy after a while, he grows on you.

I picked him up as I sat down, "Done eating already Rufus?" He then pointed to the plate sitting across from me that I had originally thought was the plate Mrs. Possible was serving the bacon on, "Aww, you were waiting on me? Aren't you just the most thoughtful little rodent?" I had started scratching his head, watching him beam as much as a naked mole rat could at the attention. Conversation was fairly normal, considering the company, Mrs. Possible discussed a new non-invasive brain treatment she was working on, Ron and Kim filled me in on their last mission a couple days ago, and Rufus tried to bring cheese up whenever he could. All in all it was a fairly non-eventful morning, until I remembered how my morning started, "Oh, Ronnie. I almost forgot to tell you, Ashley sent me an e-mail this morning."

I tried to just slip it into conversation, and hope that he took it in stride. Oh how wrong I was, "WHAT? No. When? Not tonight right? Are you sure it was her? I mean it could be another Ashley, and..." Kim stopped his rant by grabbing his plate, "Hey, where do you think you're going with that?" At first I thought his rant was a little over done, even for him, but I didn't pursue that line of thought as I watched the two 'old friends' fight over his plate.

"Well, you were going off on a rant, and instead of letting your food go to waste, I was going to share the rest of it with Rufus." Rufus seemed to like her idea, but Ron quickly reclaimed his plate and began eating again.

I took his momentary silence as an opportunity, "Ron, think of it on the positive side, you get to use her kitchen again, and she said I could come as long as I 'behave myself'."

"So when does the Wicked Witch of the West want to have your boyfriend as her own personal - OW!" I immediately forgot our conversation, anything that causes Kim Possible to say 'Ow' and look under the table can't be a good thing. I was out of my seat and a couples steps away before I turned to face them. Unfortunately, there weren't any serious worries, "Rufus, what are you doing under there, and why did you just poke my leg with a fork?"

As fast as his little limbs would carry him and the plastic utensil to the table top he started explaining. I was too busy hoping that they didn't make any comments about me jumping like a little girl to pay attention to what he was trying to 'say', but Ron's response gave me a good idea, "He's got a point KP, at least he didn't have a knife." I about recoiled from the glare he received for that, "Sorry, sorry, and you heard him, it's not like he meant to poke you with it."

Rufus's head was nodding like a bobble-head doll, "It's okay Rufus, just be more careful. I think you about gave Bonnie there a heart attack." _Well, so much for hoping they didn't notice._

"You three need to get going, or you're going to be late for school." We all nodded our acknowledgment and thanks to Mrs. Possible as we left to load up my car.

As soon as we stepped in the door we were assaulted by the color pink, I thought I was going to hurl, _pink is sooo two years ago_. "Aww man, this tanks."

Both Kim and I turned to him and asked, "What?" Unfortunately she was faster on the jinx.

"Valentine's Day is coming." Again, we both responded the same way by raising a questioning eyebrow, "V-Day, you know, the day that I watch everybody buying and getting chocolate and flowers and cards and..." He stopped himself in the middle of this rant without anyone interrupting this time and turned towards me, "Never mind, V-Day is the bon-digity this year."

A voice from behind us piped up, "I tend to agree with Ron on this one, Valentine's is going to be a good day this year."

Kim's mood seemed to brighten like someone flipped a light switch, "I know I'm not going to complain." I turned just in time to see her bent over to receive a good morning hug. A mechanical arm was starting to snake it's way behind her to goose her, but quickly retreated when she commented, "If you want your chair to stay in one piece, you won't do that."

Releasing each other from the hug he shrugged innocently, "What? You're threatening a poor crippled kid like me?" I swear, he has the same goofy demeanor about being crippled as Ron does about being a klutz.

I knew that this conversation was going somewhere I really didn't want to watch, so I grabbed Ron's arm and walked towards my locker, "You've been quiet this morning Ron, what's up with that?"

For a second I saw him contemplate playing dumb, but he knew he'd been caught, "I don't know, it's just weird seeing Kim with someone and not feeling at least some jealousy."

It's times like this I felt... special, I didn't know how else to explain it, "Well, you do have a beautiful girlfriend that loves you. And I'm betting she'd be more than a little put off if you were jealous of another girl." I put a finger on his lips before he started apologizing, "Don't worry, I was kinda worried how you'd react once they aired the fact they were together. I've heard how protective you can get on missions, if she gets in trouble, and a girl can't help but wonder. Even if I am the single greatest thing that has ever happened to you, it's good to know that another girl isn't getting a rise of jealousy out of you." I tip-toed and kissed his cheek. I wanted to give him a proper kiss but wasn't really in the mood to listen to the resident prison warden yell at us.

Needless to say, I was a bit shocked when I heard that voice yelling down the halls, and I know I saw Ron shrink a little, "POSSIBLE! RENTON!" That gave both of us pause, we were used to hearing our names being the ones echoed down the halls, "Detention, you should know better than that Ms. Possible, the PDA policies haven't changed. And Mr. Renton, I don't think that chair is designed for two, and I know the second seat isn't in your lap."

"Were we ever that bad Bon-Bon?" I couldn't not laugh, "I mean, yeah we kissed and hugged and stuff, but I don't think you've ever sat on my lap here at school and played tonsil hockey."

"No, we just snuck off to the band room and the photography lab's dark room to get a good game going." His smile split his face from ear to ear when he started recalling our little adventures, "Now that your brain has some good thoughts to keep it occupied, go get to class, I'd really rather you didn't join Kim and Felix this afternoon."

**Ron's POV**

I wasn't paying attention in English this morning, I guess that's not unexpected, but I had a mental checklist I was, well... checking. The next item required me to rouse my smallest friend, "Hey Rufus, buddy." His head slowly poked out of my pocket, he'd obviously been taking yet another nap, "I just thought I'd say thanks, and tell you that you earned yourself a half wheel of smoked cheddar." A grin spread across his face before the Sandman sunk his claws into my little buddy again.

I had been worried that my acting this morning was going to get me caught, and then Kim about blew it by making Bonnie think about when. I probably should tell Kim, but she'd have a fit that I'm getting a favor from a villain. This is going to be harder than I thought, I just hope I can keep Bon-Bon distracted enough not to notice what's going on. "Mr. Stoppable, would you mind telling the class what is Orwell was trying to say when Big Brother was convincing the main character that two plus two does, in fact, equal five?"

_Of course she's going to call on you, you weren't paying attention again_. I resorted to guessing, and hoping on dumb luck, "Well, er... besides they don't know how to do math?" The unimpressed expression on her face and the giggles from most of the class told me that wasn't the right answer, "Well, I guess it depends on how you look at things, you can convince yourself of anything given enough time and incentive." I crossed my fingers under the desk, hoping that was enough to satisfy her.

"Very good." She then turned back to the board and started discussing the finer details that I had skimmed over, and was ignoring yet again. I wasn't about to pretend that I knew what I just said, and went back to figuring a way out of the mess I made for myself.

After class I decided that my best option was to play the avoidance game, I've gotten good at that over the years, and I knew her schedule only had to cross mine one more time today... Biology. I hurried, but tried not to make it look like I was hurrying when I went to my locker so Kim wouldn't ask any questions either, "What's the sitch?" I was beginning to think my prayers had been answered, and Wade was going to provide me a way to avoid school for the rest of the day. I turned to face Kim's locker, and immediately realized the screen was still blank, and she was looking at me with those expectant piercing eyes, "Are you going to tell me what's going on, or do you want me to clue Bonnie in and have her ask?"

"NO!" A stern look from down the hall caused me to cringe and lower my voice, "No, please don't. This is supposed to be a surprise, and if you tell her, she'll figure it out, that is if she hasn't already, 'cause we all know that I'm not that good at keeping a secret, and you weren't supposed to find out, because you're going to be mad about it. And I'm trying to avoid her so I don't have to keep myself from slipping and telling her that I kinda talked Shego into letting me borrow her kitchen on Valentine's to surprise Bon-Bon. And you weren't supposed to know that either, ah man, this tanks." My lungs started burning at that point, and prevented me from rambling any more, making me realize that I hadn't taken a breath since I started begging.

Kim was surprisingly silent for a bit, actually made me worried that she was going to really blow up on me big this time. Grabbing her book for class she took a deep breath, "I don't even know where to start on this, but if you don't want to avoid Bonnie for the next week, you better get your act together. We're going to talk later, after practice you and me are going to BN, alone." There was a tone of finality in her voice that told me I didn't have much of an option, and the more I thought about it, the more I figured that if I got it off my chest and told someone, the easier it would be for me to slide through the days without slipping up.

"Thanks KP."

As we parted ways I swear I heard her mumble, "Don't thank me yet."

I managed to avoid my girlfriend for the rest of the day, seeing her enough to make it look like I wasn't avoiding her, but never having enough time to stop and talk. Then the greatest and worst class of the day became my destination. I knew, from many years of diving into class seconds after the bell, the exact second on the hall clock that caused the bell to ring. With a bit of pride on my face, I stepped into the classroom with 3 seconds to spare. "Nice of you to join us Stoppable. Take your seat before I decide to give you extra homework." I didn't complain, it may have taken 4 years for it to sink in, but I knew it wouldn't do me any good if I did.

As was usual, Mr. B dove right into the lesson, but some one else had other plans, "Where have you been all day? I've been looking for you, some people in this building need Ronshine to keep them from getting... cranky." Her hand landed on the inside of my elbow and slid slowly down to intertwine itself with my fingers, it wasn't till that moment that I realized how sensitive the skin on the underside of my arm was.

My distraction caused me to loose grip of my pencil, which promptly deposited itself under the desk. Mumbling a little, but not letting go of Bonnie's hand, I leaned down to grab it, "STOPPABLE!"

_**Thud, bump!**_

"OW!" I managed to get off my knees and maneuver my head above the desk this time without giving myself another lump, "Yeah Mr. B?"

"I don't know what you think you are doing on the floor in my classroom, but I expected better from you. DETENTION!" I was completely unsure what was going on, and was halfway to my seat before he half turned back, "And, Ms. Rockwaller, be a lady and sit properly. Extra homework for trying to distract your classmate."

Every eye was on us, and I didn't have a clue what was going on. I turned and saw Bonnie was as bright red as I've ever seen her, and noticed her free hand tugging at the bottom of her skirt as her heels slid together with a slight click. Collecting herself she turned to me, "You have no idea what just happened do you?" I just shook my head and she giggled, "Even when I try to let you 'be a guy' you end up being a true gentleman." I just stared at her like she was made of cheese, she just sighed, "Or, you are as clueless as everybody thinks. But, that's okay, I still love you."

It took me a couple moments for my aching head to catch up with the conversation, but when it did I wasn't sure it had caught up to the right one, "Wait, you weren't just... were you? I mean of course you weren't." She must have thought I was going crazy, so I tried to clarify, "I mean, you weren't... um what I'm trying to ask is, were you just trying to... distract me?" When those pearly whites started to gleam I knew I'd hit the nail on the head. I started cursing myself for not noticing, then for knowing that if I would have I couldn't have held my tongue.

I about lost control of it anyways when she leaned over and completed any details that were fuzzy in my mental picture, "Don't worry, I've shown you more in my hot tub wearing a suit." My mind was cleared of all thoughts except what I'd just missed, and the wonderful young woman sitting next to me.

I'm not sure how I survived that class, _heck even the rest of the day_, without having heart failure, but I managed to get through and on to practice. I knew something was up when the entire cheer squad came out at the same time, well, except the two most important ladies in my life. When Tara made eye contact with me she just gave me a shrug and went back to her stretches. When they did emerge, they both appeared unharmed, but there was a tension that even I could feel.

I lightened when Bonnie smiled at me and Kim started practice with her typical 'go to' attitude. I even managed to sneak in a kiss during a drink break; as she pulled away though she almost made my blood pump stop, "I have something we need to talk about," Fortunately she knew me well enough to cut off my self-deprecating rant, "And before you get any ideas, that doesn't mean the same as when the girl says 'we need to talk' on those TV teen dramas you watch to _stay current_ either."

I've come to the conclusion that my life revolves around clocks ticking the seconds till my doom, and I'm always slow to catch on till it's almost too late. I mean there's not a villain worth his weight that doesn't have a good countdown monitor on his doomsday device, the clocks in the hall at school are always counting down the seconds till I'm late to class, and then today I saw the clock over the gym doors... Sitting there with it's little wire frame protecting it from everyone, and laughing at me. I know my brain doesn't work on the same wavelength as most people, and sometimes my mind works apart from my own free will; this time it decided to run through all the scenarios of Kim beating me to a pulp for going to a villain for help, then Bonnie attacking her for attacking me, or the ones that involved me slipping up and Bonnie getting angry for hiding something and beating me to a pulp, only to apologize and feel horrible afterwards once she found out what I wasn't telling her, which would make me feel horrible for making her feel like that. I may be a master relaxer, but the old thinker sometimes gets itself going and I can't stop it.

Fortunately, reality wasn't nearly as bad as my imagination had mapped out. Bonnie had to run a couple errands for her dad, so that gave me ample time to talk with KP at Bueno Nacho. Okay, so maybe talk wouldn't be quite accurate, I listened while Kim talked, "Ron, I'm going to put this as politely as I can: What in the name of all things holy and good in this world are you thinking, going to a world renowned villainess for help with your relationship?" I couldn't bring myself to remind her that she took that same persons advice in the not so distant past, I knew that wouldn't be good for my health, "I mean, you could have went to anybody else, your folks, my folks, the TWEEBS for crying out loud." She noticed that she was hovering a bit off her seat and sat back down collecting herself before continuing, "You know you could have come to me and asked for my help. I may not be particularly fond of Bonnie, but you are still my best friend and partner, we're supposed to help each other out." She let out a drawn out sigh as she stirred her drink with the straw, "What kind of promises did you have to make to get Shego to help you out? She doesn't seem to be the helping type unless there's something in it for her."

Seeing no reason to hide anything anymore I gave the short version, "I'm just going to have to train with her a couple times when she decides she actually wants to call in a meal. She promised that there wouldn't be any serious injuries and she wouldn't use it to wear me out if she knew Dr. D was planning something. Something about wanting to make sure I wasn't going to pull a fast one on her during a mission again"

"And you believed her?" Doubt saturated every word, but when I nodded in response her features lightened, "Well, you can usually tell about people. I don't trust her, but I have to trust that you know what you're getting into. I put a lot of faith in you having my back, so I just want you to know that I have yours if you need me to."

The rest of our little intervention was a lot less stressful, and we were both laughing by the time we stepped outside, "KP, I just wanted to say thanks, you know... for everything."

No sooner had I wrapped her in a hug when a voice came from behind me, "Get your hands off my man." I spun to start explaining that this wasn't what she thought it was, only to see her ear to ear grin, "Way to easy, but fun nonetheless."

"Bonnie, I think you gave him a heart attack. If I hadn't seen you walking up before hand, I'm sure you would have got me too." I didn't correct her, but I noticed she jumped as well, "Now Ron, before she starts getting strange ideas that I'm going to steal you away, go kiss and make up; I'm going to go find Felix."

**Bonnie's POV**

Maybe it was the smell of chocolate and flowers in the air that clouded my mind most of this week, or maybe it was the blaring pink that soaked into every aspect of everything that just caused my brain to focus on blocking out the offensive use of the color; but sometime Friday the 14th, I came to the realization that not only was today Valentine's Day, but today was also the day that Shego had planned for her meal. The funny looks I got as I cursed in the halls at that moment were understandable, considering I was walking alone, and had been in a relatively good mood most of the day, _mostly due to the extra dose of Ronshine I got this morning_. It's a good thing no one could read my mind, because I was calling that woman a list of things that would make most sailors blush. Unfortunately, Ron had been just as oblivious as I was, or he just hadn't connected two and two together yet. And since it was last hour, I figured I'd just wait till practice to see what he had to say about my little revelation.

For some reason I'm still surprised by some of Ron's friends, even though I should be used to it by now. But when I heard a voice call my name on the way to the lockers, I was a bit unsettled at the speed and accuracy of what was said, "GF, I hear you had a bit of a tantrum, well, not so much a tantrum, but a miniature explosion of expletives. What's the dealio? My boy Ron didn't do something stupid did he? Cause if he did, I'll go straighten him out for you."

"No worries Monique, I just realized that today's Valentine's Day." In my defense, that made sense in the context that was in my head, however her confused expression reminded me that she's good at getting information, but she can't read minds, _at least I don't think she can_, "And I forgot that today also happens to be the day that 'Ashley' wants to kidnap Ron. I can't believe I missed this, that old hussy is just trying to ruin my good time with some personal Ronshine. If I didn't know better, I'd say she planned this with my dad just to keep us occupied today and out of trouble."

"Let me guess, you've been floating on a cloud this week, thinking about how great this V-day was going to be, having a good honest BF that doesn't want to give you some kosher sausage for a gift." Her words were rather blunt and crass, but she was about as accurate as could be expected, "Don't worry, I'm sure Ron will come up with something. He may be dense most of the time, but he's not stupid and I'll bet he knows what today means to you and has something planned to make it up to you somehow... and if he doesn't, he'll wing it."

"What more could I expect from Ron? He's rather good at 'winging it', I mean he did wake me up with breakfast in bed today, apparently he'd planned that out with Dad though. I wondered why he stepped in to tuck me in last night, he was just making sure I was wearing something _decent_ probably." The thoughts of this morning's festivities brought a definitive grin to my face.

"Well, just remember, it's not his fault this time. I like the guy to death, but anytime someone close to him says anything remotely down to him, he takes it hard. He'll shed it like a water if it ain't someone he cares about, but when you or Kim say something even remotely implying he made a mistake, he may smile, but trust me when I say the boy feels like he got sucker punched." I knew she was right, and she knew I knew what she was saying; I didn't miss the undertone of, 'if you knock him for this, you'll be answering to me'. As she turned away I heard her lip off, "Just hope he doesn't get a taste for older women, as much time as he's spending over there, you never know."

She was gone before I had a chance to remind her that this would only be the second time he'd been there, and that I'd been with him the first time as well. The thoughts of how troublesome that woman could be given the wrong set of circumstances occupied my mind while I got ready, then a large hand finding the small of my back brought me back to reality, "Hey, how is my Bondigity Bon-Bon doing?"

Rolling my eyes at his alliteration, I piped, "Well, your _bondigity_ girlfriend is wondering if you had thought about tonight?"

For the briefest of moments I thought I felt him tense, but when I turned my head to face him his adorable vacant smile was ever present, "Well, I do believe that I get to have a V-Day with one of the mostest prettiest women I know." Then picking up that I wasn't completely forthcoming with what I knew he asked, "What, did I miss something? You're not gonna break up with me on Valentines, are you?"

His arm started to remove itself from my waist, but I kept a good hold on him and wouldn't let him move away, "No, I may not be the smartest person in the world, but I'd have to be certifiably insane to break up with you. I was just wondering what you were going to tell Shego when we didn't show up."

The blood in his face drained instantly, "Wait, that was tonight? You're just trying to get me again, right? This can't be right, even Shego isn't stupid enough not to know what February 14th is. I mean, even I remembered; granted that could be because of the large pink and red hearts that are taped to every wall and locker in the school. But still..." he spun and looked me straight in the eyes, "Are you sure it was today? Maybe she meant _next_ Friday, right?" I could see him grasping for straws, but I knew what I knew.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I just wasn't paying attention and now you're going to have to break your date with Shego and she can kiss my tanned..."

I didn't get a chance to finish that statement as Kim walked into the gym, "Alright, that was a good practice." When the dozen of us standing around looked at her like she was crazy she continued, "Please, I know you all have plans, and I know you'll all be way distracted. I don't want anyone to get hurt, so be prepared for a little longer practice come Monday." No sooner had the words left her mouth and the gym was clear of everyone except for the three of us. The resident redhead made for us, "What's the sitch? Ron looks panicky, and Bonnie, you look a bit... unhappy. Don't tell me he forgot today was Valentine's."

"No, he didn't forget. But we both forgot that tonight is the night Shego wanted her meal, and Ron's trying to figure out what to tell her when he doesn't show up."

Color was returning to his face, "Umm, I'm not so sure that it would be good for my health to just blow off Shego," it didn't take long for my temper to kick in, but fortunately for all parties involved Ron continued, "But there's no way I'm blowing off Bon-Bon and what's supposed to be the most romantic day of the year for Shego." His eyes furrowed, and his free hand went to his face, "KP... my brain hurts. Make it stop."

"I knew she was going to cause problems with this whole cooking sitch. Do you want me to put a stop to it?" Even I could tell the offer was hollow, and as much as I hated to admit it, she was probably right in assuming it would be better to bite the bullet and just deal with this inconvenience.

Ron apparently agreed with those sentiments, "No, KP, don't waste your breath. I'll just go and get it over with, I'll try to make it up to Bon-Bon tomorrow... well, if she doesn't dump me." Turning his head towards me he asked, "You're not going to dump me because of this right?" I could hear the fear mixed with a little begging in his voice; my heart about broke at the sight of him falling apart.

Wrapping both arms around him just below the ribcage, and burying my head in the middle of his chest I reassured him, "I'm not gonna dump you because you happen to be at the mercy of a deadly woman's wrath, and don't have much of an option. As long as you promise to let me come." He tensed for a split second but I didn't give him a chance to reply, "No. I'm spending Valentine's Day with my boyfriend. If Shego doesn't like it she can go sit on a tack for all I care."

With that settled we made our way home to get ready for this evening. I thought about dressing to the nines, but decided on something a little more casual and something that would make Shego jealous, _and hopefully keep Ron's eyes on me instead of her_. I knew in my head that I didn't have anything to worry about, but somewhere Monique's words were making an impact. Tight hip hugger jeans and a comfortably snug button down white blouse were just what the doctor ordered, every curve that I knew worked in my favor was emphasized by what I had laid out. Ron's words of liking the simple things from a couple weeks ago were going to haunt him today, I was sure of it. It wasn't much longer when I heard a knock at the door, shortly followed by what sounded like my dad letting him in.

I wasn't in a hurry, and it was my prerogative to make him wait a little bit anyways, so I finished getting ready and meandered towards the living room to catch the tail end of a conversation I was sure I wasn't meant to hear, "Mr. Rockwaller, you know you scare me worse than 20 foot tall robots controlled by mad scientists, so believe me when I say that I would never do anything to hurt Bonnie."

"Just remember what I said, keep an eye on her." I was sure I'd never heard that waver in his voice before, but I knew it well from other sources... he was nervous.

I figured I'd save Ron and made my presence known, "You ready to go, we need to get going or she's going to come hunting for you."

Both men stood and turned to where they could see me. I thought Ron was going to pass out from the way his eyes traced every inch of me, and I know I saw my dad's jaw clench a little, "You look nice dear." He wasn't lying, but he didn't like it either, "Your mom and I will be back later, we're going to eat at _Alfred's_." The grin on Ron's face told that story all to well, I knew the Valentine's wait list was 2 months long.

I was a bit taken back when Ron walked up to me and kissed my cheek, no one had ever made an effort to get close to me with my dad standing there, "You look absolutely..." And in a matter of seconds the mood was changed, his face scrunched in concentration, "Aww man, there's a school word that makes sooo much sense right here."

Ron's body staggered under the weight of a large hand finding his back, "Stunning? Don't over complicate things kid. Now you two get going and try to have fun, just behave yourselves." I wasn't sure I liked how _chummy_ my old man was being with Ron, but decided it was something I could ponder later.

After the relatively short and almost silent flight to Upperton, we touched down at the same place we did last time. When no one came out the back door, I began to stir, "She better not have got us here, only to cancel without contacting one of us. I'm so going to give her a piece of my mind the next time I see her. Not only did she ruin Valentine's Day, she ruined it then stood us up." I was taking another breath to keep going on my little Shego-hate rant when I felt a hand on my arm.

"Let's go see if she's just busy with something else." The ramp lowered and from our vantage point I could see the back door was ajar a bit, "See, let's just go in and get this over with." I wasn't sure, but I swear I heard a bit of excitement in his voice. The fears Monique had unintentionally planted started to take root, _no... he can't honestly be excited about seeing Shego... it doesn't make sense after everthing that's happened already... it just can't be what Monique said... right?_

With a bit of reservation I took the lead and strode with a purpose towards the door, I was going to make sure she knew exactly where we stood with each other. I didn't care if she could fry me without so much as an afterthought, she was really starting to chafe my hide. Ron was taken back by my sudden drive, and had to hustle to catch me as I got to the doorway. The sight in front of me set my blood on fire, I took back all comments about giving her a piece of my mind, she was getting my size 6 and a half shoe up her mold green ass so far she was going to be tasting leather for weeks to come; there was a small table set up in the kitchen with two place settings, and candles sitting there waiting to be lit. For all intents and purposes it was one of the most romantic "candle light dinner" settings I could imagine.

"Oh, you got here early." The surprise was evident in her voice as she rounded the corner in black jeans and a green long sleeved shirt. The towel around her head gave me a pretty good idea she'd been in the shower when we showed up.

Before I got a chance go get a head of steam up to start kicking her across the house Ron said something that confused me beyond any state of confusion I could recall at the time, "Yeah, we kinda got rushed out the door by her dad. And, I guess I should say thanks, you know for everything." Alright, I can understand getting rushed explaining why we're early, but why in the hell is he thanking her?

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't let this get out, or I'll fry you like french fries." Her voice seemed to reignite the anger I'd been building since we showed up, and apparently it was quite evident on my face. Finally taking note of my presence she off handedly remarked, "Calm down Kitten, I'm getting ready to leave as we speak." Well, for the second time in as many minutes, I was completely lost as to what was being said. The laughter from across the room caught my attention again, "You didn't tell her? Oh, Stoppable, I gotta stick around and see this, I just can't believe you haven't told her yet. This is going to be funny."

Spinning herself into one of the stools at the breakfast bar she placed her chin on a hand and stared at Ron expectantly, figuring she was waiting on him to say something, I faced him as well. He was scratching his neck again, "Well, you see... it's kind of a funny story... well, not too funny, but a little funny... you know, if you think that this kind of thing is funny, I guess it could be called funny... and..." Shego's throat clearing across the kitchen stopped his rambling, "Yeah, no rambling, sorry. Well, Bonnie, the truth is..." I closed my eyes and waited for the worst, "I kind of made a deal with Shego to use her kitchen today. So I could have a romantic dinner with you and all that."

My eyes snapped open and I'm sure I looked like they were going to pop out of my head, "He's not kidding, he had to do some serious begging, and bargaining. But you were supposed to show up in about..." there was a beeping coming from her pocket, flipping out a little PDA sized device she continued, "2 minutes from right now. I was going to light up these," There was a flash of green that sprouted from her little finger as the candles on the table sprang to life, "and leave, while you two showed up to have a nice romantic candle light dinner without any fears of being interrupted or spied on for once."

The pregnant silence that followed allowed my brain to absorb and process all the information that I just received, "Shego, can you get going so I can make this up to Bon-Bon. She's been stewing over this all day, and I think I'm going to have to grovel for making her worry." All the pieces from the past week just fell into place as she nodded and disappeared with barely a sound, "Bonnie?" I'm not sure, but I think my system was in shock, "Come on Bon-Bon, say something, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I wanted it to be a surprise and... mrph." I swallowed whatever else he was going to say, I didn't care about words right then anyways, he'd just given me one of the best Valentine's Days ever without even knowing it.

About 20 minutes later I finally let go of him long enough to make dinner; while I'm sure the food was amazing, I couldn't tell you the next morning what he'd made. I was too lost in everything to care. I do recall him asking if I wanted desert, and replying by sitting on his lap and staking yet another claim to his lips with whispers of having all I wanted. I thought I knew I loved him before then, but it was then that I knew that I loved him more than I ever had or ever could love anyone else.

Time had became an unimportant concept to me until I heard a familiar voice come from the doorway to the rest of the house, "Okay, time's up. And I really don't want to have to clean up anything besides your dishes Stoppable, so get your little girlfriend and get out of here before I make you do it."

I vaguely remember Ron entering the coordinates for my house, and even vaguer is the memory of him landing in the back yard. What I do remember is his lips on mine, and both of our lips taking turns exploring each other's throats, necks, collarbones, ears... any exposed flesh was free game. I do remember pushing him to sit on the couch as I straddled his lap and stuck my tongue down his throat as he returned the favor. I knew his hands had stayed ever so diligently clear of any place that might be considered aggressive, and that they had a tenancy to gravitate towards my hips as I was rocking against him. I have no doubt in my mind that it was my hands that undid each button on my shirt, one at a time; just as I have no doubt in my mind that the feel of his calloused hands crawling up and down my back under my now loose fitting shirt felt REALLY good.

**Ron's POV**

Not much had been said since we left Shego's place; then again, I'm not so sure I could have made too many complete thoughts into words with my current state of mind. I knew we were taking a big step tonight, but I also knew somehow that this wasn't going to be the night. I wasn't worried, I knew there'd be plenty of time for that in the future. Somehow, I just knew right then that there'd be a lot of future for the two of us. But for right now, I was going to enjoy this moment, each kiss, each nibble, each taste... I'd never touched alcohol, but if I had to guess the feeling I had was similar to that of a lush. My mind was only able to focus on what was right there, and 'right there' consisted of Bonnie and Bonnie's lips and tongue.

I tried in vain to keep her still on several occasions by holding her hips, but it seemed to only encourage her. I tried to control myself, but I knew she had to know the effect she was having on me right then. Focusing as much attention on keeping myself from loosing control completely I missed the point in time when her shirt had come unbuttoned. I was almost sure that it wasn't me that had done it, but that thought quickly got pushed aside for lack of care; the feel of her back flexing and writhing under my touch was way more interesting than any thoughts of how my hands got there in the first place.

Try as I might, there was no stopping time. As much as I wanted to stay here forever kissing the woman I loved, neither of us were able to keep up the energy anymore. The kisses became slower, the touches became softer, and eventually our hearts came back down from their breakneck speeds. With a content sigh, her head laid down in the crook of my neck as my arms folded around her pulling her closer. We sat there in near silence, the only sounds to speak of were our breathing and the tick of the large grandfather clock in the hall.

I'm guessing the emotional exertion took more of a toll on us than we thought, because the next thing I remember was a rather large voice coming from the front door, "Bonnie, we're back." Immediately followed by Bonnie popping awake and realizing exactly how we both looked at that moment causing her to panic. I'd like to say that I was calm and took things in stride, but if I said that I'd be lying. If it wasn't for the fact that when Bon-Bon panicked, she froze, I would have probably been halfway home in a dead sprint, as things were I felt the blood drain from my face and saw a rather angry man making his way across the room as the world went dark again.

The sounds of sobbing brought me back to the land of the living. I found myself propped up at one end of the couch, and saw Bonnie curled up crying at the other end with her head hidden in a pillow. Doing a quick scan of the rest of the room my eyes stopped on the last person I wanted to see right then. Deciding not to test my luck I quickly turned my gaze to the floor, _don't look him in the eye... don't let him think you are challenging him... if you don't act like a threat, he'll walk away... they only detect movement..._ Grasping at straws to make myself feel safer than I really was didn't seem to do much to help; especially once that usually strong voice spoke in very quiet tones, "Why don't we go take a walk." I knew that taking a walk with him right now was the last thing I wanted to do, but I found my feet following him towards the kitchen against my will. Walking past Bonnie, I felt her grab my hand briefly and squeeze before letting me go.

He briefly stopped at the fridge and grabbed a brown bottle before stepping out into the crisp night air. I was torn between listening to his 'suggestion', and going back to comfort Bonnie; he didn't leave much of an option though when he held the door open and gestured for me to step outside with him. I did my best to keep out of arms reach, but knew that if he wanted me dead I wouldn't have woke up. After what seemed like an eternity, but was only about half a bottle and 2 sighs worth of time he broke our silence, "Kid," his brow furrowed before he started again, "Ronald, you have no idea how much I want to wring the last breath from your scrawny little neck." I couldn't have spoke if I wanted to, it took a lot of effort to swallow the fear that seemed to tangibly build up in my throat, "but if I did that I'd loose my little girl too." Another long draw off his bottle he spoke again, "I don't even know where to begin, I'm not blind, so I know things didn't get as far as they could have... but damn it, that's my little girl sitting in there crying." The control he'd maintained so far was starting to waver, but instead of the anger I was expecting there was a lot of fear radiating from his words, "She's more afraid that I'm going to hurt you or forbid her from seeing you than she would be if I sent you home and told her I was going to punish her. Damn it, she wasn't supposed to grow up." Draining the last drops out of the bottle, and giving it a look of disdain for holding so little, he sat it on the patio table, "So, are you going to say anything?" Not knowing what he wanted to hear, I went with an apology. This brought a laugh to him, not a long one, just a brief chuckle, "Are you really sorry? Or are you just sorry you got caught? Hell, do you know what you're even sorry for?"

Not knowing an honest answer for any of those questions I spoke without thinking, "I love her, sir." It was the truth, I had no doubts about it, but as soon as I said it, I wasn't sure this was the right time or place to be telling him.

I've seen enough people get punched in the stomach to know what their facial expressions look like, but I'd never seen words have the same effect, "Not exactly what I was expecting to hear." Grabbing the empty bottle, only to give it a glare when remembering it's lack of contents and setting it back down, he continued, "And from what I can tell, she loves you too. But that doesn't change the fact of what you were doing on my couch, with my daughter..." His voice was beginning to crack again, and he stopped to take a deep breath, "Damn it, damn it all."

Figuring it would be best to try and make some peace with him I offered, "I won't come around any more."

He huffed before replying, "Like Hell if you think you're not coming around here any more, that little gir..." again he got that look like he'd got punched in the stomach before starting again, "that young woman in the living room crying her eyes out would kill me if you stopped coming around here. She's got a bit of her old man's fire in her belly, and I doubt I'd make it one round if that happened." Again he cast an accusing glare at the empty bottle, "She used to love me you know?" I had no clue what he was talking about, but it didn't matter as he kept going, "She used to want to grow up and 'marry her daddy', I still remember explaining that little girls can't marry their daddy's. You know what she told me?" Again, I was without an answer, "She told me she was going to find someone who was just like daddy to marry."

He went silent again, and I was still confused, "Mr. Rockwaller? I don't get it."

For the first time since I woke up I saw him honestly smile, turning a bit as if sizing me up I caught a glint of light reflecting off his cheek, "You don't do you? She loves you, a lot. But she's still my little girl that needs a ride to ballet practices, and begs me to take a day off work to come to a recital, and won't let me wash the car or read the paper on a Saturday without playing tea party first; she's the little girl that only loved her daddy, the same one that thought all boys were icky." He seemed to relax a bit before finishing, "And now she's grown up on me, and she's in love with a young man that, as much as I hate to admit it, isn't all that horrible." To say my brain felt like it was on a Tilt-o-Whirl would be to put it mildly, "Ronald, do me a favor... love her back. Get in there, make everything all back to right in her world and love her." I wasn't sure what was going on, but I knew I needed to get to Bonnie. I had just put my hand on the door handle when he spoke again, "Ronald!" I glanced back to see an unusual grin across his face, "If you ever want to walk again, you won't let me see you touching my daughter again." It was a threat clear and simple, even I got that, but I guessed on my way back through the house that it wasn't as simple as that either. We'd crossed a line, tore down his image of Bonnie being a little girl, and it hurt him; but he wanted her to be happy. All in all it was giving me a headache, but I knew that Bon-Bon needed me to be there.

As I stepped into the living room, she bolted from her spot on the couch and latched her arms around me, "You're alive, thank God. I love you, please don't go." In an eternity that lasted not long enough her breathing was normal, and she wasn't shuddering with tears, "How did you convince him not to kill you?"

I'm not known for my tact, and the playful slap to my chest after I said, "The Ron-Man's got mad skills in convincing people not to kill him." let me know that I wasn't getting much better. Hearing her laughter, brief as it was brought a smile to my face, "I didn't convince him of anything, he just loves you." This seemed to pacify her for now.

"Well, why don't we not tempt fate twice in one night." She stood on her tip-toes and kissed my cheek, "Good night."

"Yeah, it was a good night. Happy Valentine's Day Bon-Bon."


End file.
